The Oklahoma Transportation Department Commission met this week and awarded more than $102 million in contracts for improvements of highways, roads and bridges in 34 counties.
The $102 million represented 46 contracts as the commission also approved 20 contracts for pavement rehabilitation or resurfacing. One was a $24.5 million contract to resurface and improve five miles of highway US 69 from the Pittsburg County line north to Eufaula in McIntosh County. The highway is considered a major travel and trucking corridor that carries more than 16,000 vehicles a day.
But some of the focus of the Feb. 12 meeting was on the start of the legislative session and what it could mean for the DOT budget.
Executive Director Mike Patterson updated the commissioners on efforts to increase state revenue, including a possible hike in the state’s motor fuel tax revenue. Patterson noted that some want to increase the motor fuel tax but not increase ODOT’s budget.
“As the legislature tries to bring in new revenue to help balance the state’s budget, we hope we can see the end to the diversion of transportation funding to other areas of state government,” Patterson said. “Nearly $840 million has been diverted from ODOT since 2010 and as a result, we’ve seen projects delayed and even removed from the Eight-year Construction Work Plan.”
Patterson said ODOT remains on track to address the remaining structurally deficient highway bridges by the end of the decade, despite funding cuts due to the continued state budget shortfalls. He said stable state funding is needed however to continue the work on bridges.
The 46 contracts that totaled $102 million in highway improvement contracts went to the following counties: Beaver, Bryan, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cimarron, Cleveland, Comanche, Creek, Ellis, Grady, Greer, Kingfisher, Latimer, Lincoln, Mayes, McCurtain, McIntosh, Muskogee, Murray, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pottawatomie, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Rogers, Roger Mills, Seminole, Tulsa, Texas, Washington and Woodward counties.