The federal government recently approved Oklahoma’s Department of Transportation Freight Plan for 2018-2022. It’s a plan that will have a major impact on the movement of energy products in the state.
The plan details freight trends and traffic forecasts and helps identify significant freight transportation projects needed in the state according to Dawn Sullivan, the ODOT Director of Capital Programs.
“With an expected growth of 45 percent in trucking over the next 30 years, it’s important to examine our transportation corridors, take advantage of the funding available and improve our system to lend infrastructure support to a thriving economy,” said Sullivan. “ODOT is already targeting major highway corridor improvements through the eight-year Construction Work Plan and continuing to support our partners in rail and waterway transportation.”
More than 800 million tons of freight with an estimated value of $1.3 billion are transported in Oklahoma every year by truck, rail and waterway. And the number is expected to only grow in coming years with two major interstates intersecting in the middle of Oklahoma—-I-35 and I-40.
Nearly 58 percent of all freight in Oklahoma is transported by truck and 41 percent by rail. Two years ago, nearly 80 million tons of product with a final destination in Oklahoma arrived in the state. Another 500 million tons passed through the state no its way to another destination.
The five-year freight plan considers different freight modes including rail, highway and waterways. It marks the first organized planning effort focused solely on the issues of freight and goods movement. The plan is in line with the federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015. Called FAST for short, it does not provide additional funding but designates a portion of existing federal funding specifically for freight improvements.