Secretary of Transportation and Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Executive Director Tim Gatz cautioned commissioners that DOTs across the country will spend considerable time understanding and identifying the complexities of the funding of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Since the highway reauthorization bill was signed into law in November, there’s been a huge amount of confusion about what we did receive in the five-year reauthorization,” Gatz said. “This bill is the expected reauthorization for the next five years with $1 billion more, much of it for several new program areas. We’ll get guidance and policy to direct how we can spend the additional money.”
The nearly $5-billion plan funds highways in Oklahoma, and it also mandates spending in several other areas such as expanding broadband and environmental projects. The act increased federal highway dollars in Oklahoma by about 20 percent, which ODOT accounted for in the rebalance of its Eight-Year Construction Work Plan the commission approved in October.
At the meeting, commissioners approved changes to speed limits along I-35 south of Moore to provide consistency in the corridor with all sections to now be signed for 65 mph from Goldsby to the Oklahoma County line. New signs are anticipated to be in place by late January. Commissioners also paved the way to place additional digital message signs to alert motorists of changes ahead along the I-35 corridor south of Moore. These signs are estimated to be in position by the end of August.
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Additionally, commissioners recognized the recent statewide award from the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors. The industry group honored ODOT’s District 5 Clinton Residency with the 2021 Pharaoh Award for the construction of the SH-6 Diverging Diamond Interchange across I-40 in Elk City in Beckham County. The Pharaoh Award is presented for the highest quality bridge structure in the state of Oklahoma in the past year. The $16-million project also reconstructed the I-40 on- and off-ramps at SH-6.
Commissioners approved a more than $3-million contract to Built Right Construction LLC of Savanna for I-44 bridge rehabilitation at the Union Pacific Railroad and Sheridan Road in Tulsa.
Commissioners voted to award 39 contracts totaling more than $108 million to improve highways, roads, and bridges in 32 counties. Contracts were awarded for projects in Atoka, Blaine, Caddo, Carter, Coal, Custer, Delaware, Garfield, Garvin, Haskell, Jackson, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, LeFlore, Lincoln, Logan, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Noble, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pittsburg, Stephens, Texas, Tillman, Tulsa, Washington, and Washita counties.
