Commission adopts nearly $9 billion Eight-Year Construction Work Plan; $90 million in projects awarded
Highlights of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission’s Monday, Oct. 2, meeting include approval of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Eight-Year Construction Work Plan and Asset Preservation Plan; a briefing on the federal funding highway appropriations bill and approval of a bridge rehabilitation project on I-235 at I-40 in Oklahoma City, Illinois River embankment repairs on SH-10 near Tahlequah and a project to resurface and add shoulders to US-283 in Cheyenne.
The commission gave its approval to ODOT’s Eight-Year Construction Work Plan for Federal Fiscal Years 2024-2031, which contains $8.8 billion in state and federal investments in highway improvements in the coming years.
The plan includes projects to address 643 bridges to maintain Oklahoma’s Top Five status for bridge conditions and nearly 3,800 miles of highway to improve pavement conditions and nearly 3,800 miles of roadway improvements, which includes more than 1,100 miles of safety improvements on two-lane highways with deficient or no shoulders.
The companion 2024-2027 Asset Preservation Plan includes a nearly $500 million investment in preventative maintenance to extend the life of the state’s highway infrastructure. The public can view a list of projects in both plans at www.odot.org under the “Programs and Projects” tab.
Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz updated the commission on the federal funding highway appropriations bill, pledging to keep focus on how the continuing resolution will affect our financial capability moving forward.
Approved at the commission meeting was a $4 million bridge rehabilitation project on I-235 at I-40, Reno Ave. and the Union Pacific rail road in Oklahoma City slated to begin early next year and take about three months. The impact to traffic will be significant and drivers should locate an alternate route prior to beginning.
The commission also voted to approve a nearly $8 million Illinois River embankment project on SH-10 north of Tahlequah as a result of an eroding embankment threatening the roadway. ODOT coordinated with the Grand River Dam Authority and its Scenic Rivers Division in the design and planning stages of the project and incorporated their suggestions in multiple aspects. The project is estimated to begin this winter and take about a year.
Also passing was a nearly $14 million project to resurface and add shoulders to five miles of US-283 in Cheyenne that is anticipated to begin in Spring 2024 and last under a year.
Commissioners voted to award 25 contracts totaling nearly $90 million to improve highways, roads and bridges statewide. The public may access a list of all awarded contracts at www.odot.org, selecting Business Center then Highway Construction Bidding.
The nine-member Oklahoma Transportation Commission, appointed by the governor and legislative leadership to oversee the state’s transportation development, awards contracts monthly for road and bridge construction.
At Monday’s Oklahoma Transportation Commission meeting, Secretary of Transportation and Oklahoma Department of Transportation Executive Director Tim Gatz presented the commissioners with ODOT’s Eight-Year Construction Work Plan for Federal Fiscal Years 2024-2031, which contains $8.8 billion in state and federal investments in highway improvements in the coming years. The companion 2024-2027 Asset Preservation Plan, which includes a nearly $500 million investment in preventative infrastructure maintenance, was also presented Monday.
Both plans can be viewed on ODOT’s webpage at www.odot.org under the “Programs and Projects” tab.
At Monday’s Oklahoma Transportation Commission meeting, the commission voted to approve a nearly $8 million Illinois River embankment project due to erosion on SH-10 north of Tahlequah. The project is estimated to begin this winter and take about a year.
