The car was a strange invention in that it preceded the means available to use it. “The automobile was born into a practically roadless world,” one observer noted in 1916, as sales were beginning to take off.  That was certainly true in the Choctaw Nation, where automobile sales were brisk through the advent of the Great Depression, but the roads on which to drive them were almost nonexistent. 

 All-season, all-weather, paved roads were not widespread in the Choctaw Nation until the 1950s, due to the mountainous terrain. Great Depression-era works projects were a big boost, adding grading, culverts, and gravel to what had been dirt trails. It remains an expensive and difficult task to maintain the roads which exist, much less paving additional miles of roadway. And roads are not the only regional need.

 Parking lots cost tens of thousands of dollars to construct. A typical school parking lot costs at least $60,000--the Choctaw Nation Transportation Program knows--as it has paved more than one.  Roads, however, remain in the greatest demand, and Choctaw transportation officials work with county commissioners across the area to know when, where, and how to assist. 

 The criterion for determining Choctaw Nation involvement is whether tribal members will be impacted materially by the work. From time to time hundreds of Choctaw families are impacted by these road projects. Over one thousand Choctaw families continue to enjoy 13 miles of road improvements made in 2016, for example; and families, particularly school students, in the Battiest and Bethel areas save seven miles per trip between the two areas thanks to the “Bethel cutoff” from Broken Bow, constructed by the Choctaw Nation. It brought the two communities much closer by connecting them more directly.

 In June, the Choctaw Nation paved several miles of Pigeon Roost Road near Boswell, in cooperation with the local Choctaw County commissioner, Ronnie Thompson. The three-mile project benefits 15 Choctaw families and is traveled by 75 to 100 vehicles per day. In December, the tribe paved Holiday Road east of Antlers, a project which benefits 10 Choctaw families, in coordination with County Commissioner Mike Brittingham. These relatively small-scale interventions have a major impact on the families—both tribal and non-tribal—who live along those routes.

 In certain circumstances road projects are intended to help the municipalities in which Choctaw Nation facilities are located. A recent example is the Durant Casino and Resort, which is currently undergoing a large expansion. A new hotel tower is rising, along with a multistory parking garage. The tribe will build an intersection on South 9th Avenue in Durant, in order to help the city.

Construction continues, with many projects in various stages of design or construction. Biskinik will report on these as they come to completion.