Oklahoma Department of Transportation


The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction and maintenance of the state's transportation infrastructure. Under the leadership of the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director, the Department maintains public infrastructure that includes highways and state-owned railroads. Along with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, the Department is the primary infrastructure construction and maintenance agency of the State.
ODOT is overseen by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission, composed of nine members appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Senate and Oklahoma House of Representatives. Tim Gatz serves as the Secretary of Transportation and Executive Director of ODOT, as appointed by Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt in 2019. Gatz is also Executive Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
The Department was created in 1976 during the term of Governor David L. Boren. It superseded the Department of Highways, which was established in 1911.
The Department of Transportation's mission statement is "The mission of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is to provide a safe, economical and effective transportation network for the people, commerce and communities of Oklahoma."

History

The predecessor agency to ODOT was the Department of Highways, which began operations in 1911, four years after Oklahoma statehood. The Department of Highways, consisting of four employees, was given an initial budget of $3,700. The state's first 29 numbered highways were commissioned on August 29, 1924. As of May 1, 1926, the state highway system consisted of of graded dirt roads, of gravel roads, and of paved roads, for a total system length of. By March 1, 1930, the department name had been modified slightly to simply the Oklahoma Department of Highways.
In 1976, the Oklahoma Legislature restructured the Department of Highways as an overall coordinating agency for the state’s highways, railways and waterways and renamed to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Overview

The Department of Transportation is primarily funded by motor vehicle fuel taxes, income taxes, legislative appropriations, and a return of federal matching dollars from the Federal Highway Trust Fund. ODOT’s annual budget of both federal and state funds is applied to highway construction and maintenance activities, railways, waterways, rural public transit programs and administration statewide.
ODOT is responsible for construction of maintenance of of non-tolled highway lanes and nearly 6,800 bridges and administers state and federal funding used on city and county road and bridge projects. In 2018, ODOT assessed approximately 185 of its highway bridges as being structurally deficient. This is compared to 1,168 structurally deficient bridges in 2004.
The Department maintains of state-owned railway, which are operated through leases with railroad companies, administers the Federal Highway Administration’s Grade Crossing Safety Program which provides funding to make safety improvements to Oklahoma’s nearly 3,800 at-grade public railway/road intersections, and manages the Amtrak Heartland Flyer passenger rail service in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation.
ODOT is also responsible for administration of state and federal funding for public transit operators in areas with less than 50,000 in population and state safety oversight of fixed guideway rail transit systems, including the Oklahoma City Streetcar.

Leadership

The agency is under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation. Under Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt, Tim Gatz is serving as the Cabinet secretary.
The Oklahoma Transportation Commission is the governing body of the state transportation department. The Governor of Oklahoma, the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, and the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives appoint the members of the nine-member commission. It is the duty of the commission to establish agency policies, award contracts, approve budgets and conduct oversight. The members each represent one of the eight geographic districts corresponding with the agency's eight field divisions, with an additional at-large commissioner representing the entire state. The governor serves as an ex officio member of the commission, but may only vote to break a tie.
The current members of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission are as follows:
DivisionCountiesHeadquarters
1Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, McIntosh, Muskgoee, Sequoyah, WagonerMuskogee
2Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Latimer, Le Flore, McCurtain, Marshall, Pittsburg, PushmatahaAntlers
3Cleveland, Coal, Garvin, Hughes, Johnston, Lincoln, McClain, Okfuskee, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, SeminoleAda
4Canadian, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Kingfisher, Logan, Noble, Oklahoma, PaynePerry
5Beckham, Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Roger Mills, Tillman, WashitaClinton
6Alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Ellis, Harper, Major, Texas, Woods, WoodwardBuffalo
7Caddo, Carter, Comanche, Cotton, Grady, Jefferson, Love, Murray, StephensDuncan
8Craig, Creek, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Rogers, Tulsa, WashingtonTulsa

Management and Finance

Staffing

The Transportation Department, with an annual budget of well over $1 billion, is one of the largest employers of Oklahoma state government. For fiscal year 2009, the Department was authorized 2488 full-time employees.
Program AreaNumber of Employees
Administration222
Transit Programs6
Railroad Programs9
Waterways Programs2
Operations1788
Engineering Programs461
Total2488

Classifications

The Transportation Department's employees are divided within the following major job classifications:
TitleDutiesSalary/Year
Transportation ManagerOverseeing multiple Divisions$80,000
Division DirectorOverseeing all activities of a Division$70,000
Assistant Division DirectorSecond highest official in a Division$62,000
Branch ManagerSupervise certain activities of a Division$55,000
Assistant ManagerAssist branch manager in performance of duties$50,000
Superintendent IIOversee two or more maintenance crews$41,000
Superintendent IOversee a maintenance crew$38,000
Lead WorkerServe as foreman of maintenance crew$31,000
Equipment OperatorPerform construction and maintenance duties
Level 3: $28,000
Level 2: $26,000
Level 1: $23,000

Budget

The Department of Transportation is a non-appropriated State agency. This means that is annual operating and program budget is not dependent upon yearly appropriations from the Oklahoma Legislature. The Legislature, through the enactment of State law, has provided the Department with a direct stream of revenue, with all such revenue automatically deposited into the State Transportation Fund. One of primary revenue sources for the Department is the State's sales tax on gasoline and diesel motor fuels. Those taxes constitute roughly one-third of the Department's total budget. Grants under the Federal-aid Highway Program of the Federal Highway Administration equal almost sixty percent of the budget. The remaining ten percent from the sale of State bonds for the construction of State roads and bridges.
The Department's annual budget is divided between two major areas: Departmental Administration and Capital Improvements. The first is used for the operation of the Department, such paying employee salaries and utilities, and the second is used for the construction and maintenance of transportation systems across the State.
For fiscal year 2011, the Department of Transportation had the following budget by division areas:
Division AreaBudget
Transit$6.2
Railroads$1
Waterways$0.2
Highways$407
Capital Outlay$898
County Projects$249
Transit Projects$16.4
Rail Projects$18.5
Total$1,596

For fiscal year 2010, the Department of Transportation had the following budget by program area:
Program AreaBudget
Personnel Services$249
Operating Expenses$41
Construction and Maintenance$1,210
Transportation Programs$60
Total$1,561

Supporting agencies