FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2010
PR# 10-031
RE: ODOT plans more than 1,750 projects, urges Oklahoma to “stay the course”
More than $4.3 billion in highway and bridge improvements are planned by the end of 2018 following approval of an 8-year Construction Work Plan by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission at its Tuesday, Aug. 10, meeting.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s 8-year plan is a blueprint for bridge and highway construction. The department implemented its first 8-year plan in 2003 as a tool to focus on the state’s most pressing transportation needs.
“We believe people will be pleased with this 8-year plan, which addresses long-term problems in a comprehensive way,” Transportation Secretary Gary Ridley said. “Past funding increases approved by the Legislature and governor helped us make significant steps toward being able to implement this comprehensive strategy. It has taken a tremendous amount of work by many people to get to this point.”
ODOT’s 8-year Construction Work Plan is normally updated each year to reflect project completions in the previous year as well as adjustments in projected state and federal revenue and changes in construction costs.
“When state leaders began slowly increasing funding for roads and bridges a few years ago, we said it would take a decade or two to begin reversing the effects of chronic under funding,” Ridley said. “The increased funding, along with careful and prudent planning, laid the ground work to begin reducing the construction backlog that had developed over decades.
“Staying the course is the best way for Oklahomans to ensure their roads and bridges don’t get short changed when it comes to a safe and efficient highway system,” he said.
The 2011-2018 Construction Work Plan includes more than 1,750 critical projects statewide. Highlights include more than 650 bridge replacements or major rehabilitations, which is more than three times the amount in ODOT’s first 8-year plan in 2003.
As in the past, more bridges have been slated for replacement when compared with the previous year’s plan. It also includes nearly $2 billion in major improvements and safety median barriers to high-volume facilities, as well as shoulders on rural two-lane highways.
The new 8-year Construction Plan is available on the ODOT Web site at www.okladot.state.ok.us, then click News and Media.
--www.okladot.state.ok.us--
(Editors and News Directors: For additional information, please contact ODOT Media & Public Relations at 405-521-6000. )
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Press Release - Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Media & Public Relations Division
200 N.E. 21st Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405-521-6000, Fax: 405-521-2524
Posted on
Tue, August 10, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski