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Ahead of the legislative session, state Senator Roger Thompson, Senate Appropriations Chair, has announced that the state legislature is committed to adding funding to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) budget to help with inflation costs for maintaining roadways, both rural and city, that criss-cross the state.

In a statement issued this month, Thompson said the budget is approximately $1.7 billion currently for the Eight-Year Construction Plan but he believes a 2.8% increase will be needed to continue to fund the plan if inflation continues. Thompson said that ODOT is doing a tremendous job in using the money wisely but that the overall pricing of materials is potentially going to delay project completions if an increase is not approved. Thompson also priased ODOT for finishing most projects on time and on budget despite supply chain disruptions that have put about 20% of projects behind schedule.