The Oklahoma Department of Transportation announced the first approval of the Eight-Year Construction Work Plan since the plan’s adoption 20 years ago, the department said Monday.
The plan contains $8.4 billion worth of needed transportation improvement projects, the department said and will improve the safety and reliability of Oklahoma’s highway network. For the first time in the plan’s 20-year history, each plan year averages more than $1 billion in planned projects across the state.
“Oklahoma’s highway and bridge network serves as the backbone of the state’s economy, moving people to work and goods to market while connecting Oklahoma with the nation and the world,” said Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz. “Simultaneously, many of these investments will ease commutes and travel for residents and allow them to spend more quality time with their families.”
In 2004, the state had 1,168 structurally deficient bridges in its highway system, ranking it amongst the worst in the country for bridge conditions. But, the state was ranked No. 5 in 2021 thanks, the ODOT said, to the Construction Work Plan and continued commitments from legislators, governors, and ODOT officials.
The department also announced it had updated its $502 million Asset Preservation Plan for 2023-2026, which includes 33o projects to maintain and preserve work on the state’s highway infrastructure.
Information about the projects is available on the ODOT website.
“In our current digital age, it is past time for the department to find ways to present information to the public using a more understandable platform,” said Rick Johnson, director of project delivery. “This new online dashboard is much more user-friendly than the maps and booklets ODOT has historically produced. A new project status website will also go a long way in making information more readily available to Oklahomans.”