­ODOT crews recognized for workplace safety: Southeastern district awarded for best safety record

Oklahoma Department of Transportation Press Release June 03, 2026

The employees of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation work in all conditions and risk their lives daily to help construct and maintain the state’s highways, interstates and bridges. Safety in these work zones is a collective commitment and critical to ensure each worker makes it home at the end of the day. With safety being ODOT’s top priority, the agency conducts onsite reviews, accident follow-ups and ongoing education initiatives as part of its worker safety program.

At the Oklahoma Transportation Commission’s June meeting, Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz and ODOT Assistant Director of Operations Taylor Henderson awarded crews who demonstrated a continued commitment to safety in the past year.

The Governor’s Safety Excellence Award is presented annually to the ODOT field district with the best overall safety record in the past year. The 2025 award went to District Two, headquartered in Antlers and led by Safety Manager Keith Bonham and District Engineer Anthony Echelle. The southeastern district includes Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Latimer, LeFlore, Marshall, McCurtain, Pittsburg and Pushmataha counties. District Two worked over 391,000 hours, experiencing only two injuries and no lost workdays. Total accidents, accident severity and lost workdays are all taken into consideration in determining the winner of the award.

The Progressive Excellence Award recognizes the ODOT field district with the most improved safety rating in the past year. The award for 2025 was presented to District One, headquartered in Muskogee and led by Safety Manager Greg Kincaid, who retired from ODOT in December 2025, and District Engineer Chris Wallace. The district in East Central Oklahoma earned this award by reducing its overall accidents and reducing lost workdays in 2025. District One includes Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties.

The Director’s Safety Awards are presented to the unit in each of ODOT’s eight field districts and its Oklahoma City headquarters with the best safety efforts for 2025. Consideration is given to safety, housekeeping, training and equipment maintenance.

The winners for 2025 are:

• District One — Cherokee County Maintenance Crew

• District Two — Center Line Crew

• District Three — Ada Residency

• District Four — Noble County Maintenance Crew

• District Five — Greer County Maintenance Crew

• District Six — Buffalo Shop

• District Seven — Cotton County Maintenance Crew

• District Eight — Delaware County Maintenance Crew

• Oklahoma City Headquarters — Survey Division View the press release: Oklahoma.gov