OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Highlights of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission’s recent meeting include reports on the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) major accomplishments and milestones in 2021, updates on the state budget outlook, and presentation of an industry award for quality highway construction in Boise City.

Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz thanked the maintenance crews who worked through the New Year’s holiday weekend during the first winter storm of 2022. Though snowfall was light in most areas, very low temperatures kept crews busy treating and clearing ice from highways and turnpikes to keep traffic moving during the holiday.

“I really appreciate our crews giving up time with their families and working around-the-clock during a holiday weekend to keep our highways safe,” Gatz said.

The commission viewed ODOT’s 2021 Year in Review video, a look back on major transportation highlights from the past year. The video includes Oklahoma’s Top Ten State ranking for bridge conditions, the first phase of I-44 and US-75 interchange reconstruction in Tulsa, and the 50th anniversary of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, among others.

Gatz also updated the commission on the state budget outlook for Fiscal Year 2023 as the department prepares for the beginning of a new legislative session and shared the news of favorable funding projections. He also said that federal transportation funding is authorized through mid-February, and he hopes to see congressional action soon to pass a full year’s budget.

Additionally, ODOT and the commission were presented with a national award from the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) for quality construction in Boise City in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Reconstruction of the US-385 and US-64 junction, known as the Boise City Square, was honored with gold status in ACPA’s National 2021 Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards. The more than $11-million project was completed by contractor Interstate Highway Construction, Inc. with oversight from ODOT’s Guymon Residency. Construction crews finished work one month ahead of schedule and paved 34,700 square yards of concrete pavement while maintaining public access to the Cimarron County Courthouse in the middle of a traffic circle in the downtown area.

The nine-member Oklahoma Transportation Commission, appointed by the governor and legislative leadership to oversee the state’s transportation development, awards contracts monthly for road and bridge construction.