The president of Transportation Revenues Used Strictly For Transportation (TRUST), an advocacy group dedicated to funding and restoring Oklahoma’s infrastructure, pressed the Oklahoma Legislature to protect highway and bridge funding during the special session.
Neal McCaleb’s dedication to public service is unmatched among past state leaders. McCaleb served as a former state representative prior to his appointment by then-Governor Henry Bellmon to serve as Oklahoma’s first Secretary of Transportation while concurrently serving as the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). McCaleb now advocates for TRUST by educating the legislation on the importance of not diverting transportation-generated revenue to non-transportation areas of state government.
“The members of TRUST certainly understand the challenges facing the legislature with regards to the current fiscal year budget, however it is imperative that any transportation-related legislation being discussed does not further impact the current ODOT eight-year highway and bridge construction plan or divert additional monies away from transportation programs,” said McCaleb. “The state of Oklahoma has made marked and steady progress over the past decade in rehabilitating its structurally deficient bridges while also embarking on major highway projects statewide. This progress must accelerate, but will only do so with continued commitment from the legislature to prioritize transportation as a core function of state government.”
