Understanding the volumes of commercial freight relying on Oklahoma’s highway system informs the Department’s focus on bridge infrastructure and needed highway improvements. Load- posted or deficient bridges present significant and costly obstacles to the conduct of business and commerce for trucking in Oklahoma. The Department’s focus and commitment to improving bridge infrastructure ensures that highway structures are in a condition that can support the safe and efficient travel for both legally loaded trucks and permitted loads in all areas of the state.

Highways that have consistent truck volumes at or above 5,000 vehicles per day or truck volumes that represent 40% or more of the total traffic are considered high-volume truck corridors. I-40 truck volumes outside of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area range between 6,000 to 8,000 freight vehicles per day. While trucks are a larger percentage of total vehicles in most rural areas around the state, some locations on I-40 see one truck for every two vehicles. In central Oklahoma, I-40 truck volumes exceed 10,000 vehicles per day.

• I-35 truck volumes increase from north to south, with the peak in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
• I-44 truck volumes increase from southwest to northeast with the highest volumes in the northeast corner of the state near Missouri.
• US-69 crosses the eastern one-third of the state and handles up to 6,500 trucks per day with the highest volumes in Pittsburgh County southwest of McAlester.
• US-64 and US-287 in the Oklahoma panhandle serve commercial carriers traveling between Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado. Trucks comprise more than half of all vehicles on these roadways.

ODOT has created a long-range planning document for Oklahoma’s freight and passenger rail systems, known as the Oklahoma Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan.