Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Seal of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1976 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Headquarters | 200 NE 21st Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Employees | 2,322 (FY15) |
| Annual budget | $1.7 billion (FY10) |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Oklahoma Transportation Commission |
| Website | Oklahoma Department of Transportation |
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction, maintenance, and regulation the use of the state's transportation infrastructure. Under the leadership of the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation, the Department maintains public infrastructure that includes rail lines, state highways, state seaports and state airports. Along with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, the Department is the primary infrastructure construction and maintenance agency of the State.
ODOT is led by a State Transportation Commission, composed of nine members appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. The Commission in turn appoints a Director, who serves as the executive head of the Department. Gary Ridley serves as the Secretary of Transportation, as appointed by Governor Brad Henry in 2009 and reappointed by Governor Mary Fallin in 2011.
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 It superseded the Department of Highways, which was established in 1911.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."
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 3,682 miles (5,926 km) of graded dirt roads (72% of the system), 832 miles (1,339 km) of gravel roads (16%), and 634 miles (1,020 km) of paved roads, for a total system length of 5,148 miles (8,285 km). By March 1, 1930, the department name had been modified slightly to simply the Oklahoma Department of Highways.
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