Oklahoma DOT Identifies More than 2,000 Projects for Next Eight Years

The Oklahoma Transportation Commission this week approved the state’s Eight-Year Construction Work Plan, which proposes to spend $5.5 billion on 2,030 projects.

The Commission approved the plan Monday, which covers years 2013-2020.The plan helps to guide the Oklahoma Department of Transportation toward the most critical projects to help create a comprehensive statewide transportation plan. It is updated every year to reflect any project completions or changes in prioritization from previous years and has become a vital planning resource for ODOT and state citizens.

Specifically highlighted in the plan is the replacement/rehabilitation of 951 bridges (the largest number ever undertaken by ODOT in one of these plans), which would address all known structurally deficient bridges across the state and then some. ODOT has been steadily working toward decreasing the number of structurally deficient bridges since 2010, when it discovered that 17 percent of bridges managed by ODOT were structurally deficient (see related story: bit.ly/OKbridgesAJ).

“Thanks to the governor and state legislature’s continued commitment to funding transportation, ODOT will be able to responsibly address the state’s remaining structurally deficient bridges by the end of the decade,” said ODOT Secretary Gary Ridley in a statement. “After decades of major bridge problems, Oklahomans will finally have a safe and reliable bridge network that meets the needs of our growing state, and one for which we can all be proud.”

“Since the first eight-year plan was adopted 10 years ago, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has made tremendous strides in addressing the state’s transportation issues to the point that we are in a manageable position for the future,” said ODOT Secretary Gary Ridley in a statement. “We believe Oklahomans will be pleased with the upcoming improvements and will reap the rewards of smart investment in our infrastructure.”

ODOT’s 108-page Eight-Year Construction Work Plan is available at bit.ly/OK8yrplan.