County Improvements for Roads & Bridges Program

Summary of Policy Considerations and Agency Recommendations

The Oklahoma State Legislature and ODOT may consider the following:

Policy Considerations

• Amending the funding apportionment in 69 O.S. § 507 to prioritize funding to areas of the state with the most critical infrastructure needs and greatest concentration of roads and bridges.
• Amending 69 O.S. § 626 to require that county engineers provide school districts with a list of all local bridges (county or municipal) that could affect school district transportation routes one month before the start of the school year.
• For increased oversight and accountability, the Legislature may consider amending 70 O.S. § 9-105 to require the Oklahoma State Department of Education annually review local districts’ school bus route evaluations.
• Amending 19 O.S. § 334 to require counties to collect and maintain records to notify school districts of any changes to bridge conditions that could affect school district transportation routes, such as when a bridge is closed, a bridge is repaired, or a weight restriction is removed or posted that could apply to school buses.
• Amending 69 O.S. § 507 to direct and prioritize funding to concentrations of structurally deficient structures.
• Amending 69 O.S. § 507 to require counties that receive direct apportionments under new CIRB formula to produce annual reports reflecting county inventory of structurally deficient infrastructure and schedule for repairs or replacement.
• Amending 69 O.S. § 687.3 to require the Oklahoma Cooperative Circuit Engineering Districts Board to approve access to funds available through the Emergency Transportation Revolving Fund (ETR) based on district data regarding unaddressed infrastructure.
• Amending 69 O.S. § 302.1 to expand the purpose of the Transportation County Advisory Board to include development of criteria for apportionment of CIRB funds.
• Amending 69 O.S. § 687 to align CED district boundaries with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Districts’ boundaries to bring consistency to districts.
• Restructuring the CIRB program under the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to maximize efficiencies and subject-matter expertise.
• Requiring centralization of infrastructure data and communication channels to ensure local leaders have the relevant information to make decisions pertaining to safety and efficiency regarding local infrastructure.
• Clarifying within statute the classification of “historical significance” as it relates to Oklahoma infrastructure.
• Amending 19 O.S. § 130.7 to require specific training hours, as approved by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, for professional development and continuing education offered in-state for County Commissioners every two years.
• Amending 19 O.S. § 130.7 to assign enforcement authority for statutorily required professional development.
• Amending 19 O.S. § 130.5 to require County Commissioners to maintain active and historic records of training and professional development hours.

Agency Recommendations

• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should seek to establish performance benchmarks for the CIRB program for 2030.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should produce annual county road reports for improved roads with a minimum traffic count, that includes data metrics.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should adopt policies for increased coordination with the Oklahoma State Department of Education and counties to improve communication and data sharing regarding school bus critical bridges.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should require consistent standards for labeling school bus critical bridges, potentially incorporating as part of the bridge inspection process.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should allocate any additional funds over the statutory apportionment, such as special appropriations, to districts with greatest critical county infrastructure challenges, instead of equally apportioning additional funds.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should collect and report annual county road conditions similar to data currently collected and reported for county bridges.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should develop a process to educate county transportation officials on identifying and securing all available federal grants and funding opportunities for infrastructure repair and replacement.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should exercise the authority provided under current Administrative Rules and statutes to prioritize and more thoroughly review infrastructure projects being submitted for the CIRB 5-Year Plan, including developing selection criteria.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should work with County Commissioners to utilize a data- driven approach to select infrastructure projects for the CIRB 5-Year Plan.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should work to develop an objective methodology for prioritizing infrastructure projects for the CIRB 5-Year Plan, to include rating for multiple deficiencies or degree of deficiency.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should coordinate county projects for submission to Federal regulatory bodies.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should coordinate with Transportation Districts and County Commissioners to ensure accurate local records pertaining to historically significant bridges.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should add to the definition of “structurally deficient” to account for degree of difficulty for remediation.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should establish minimum standards for road and bridge maintenance for counties, to include requiring plan approval from a civil engineer.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should further collaborate with Oklahoma State University’s Center for Local Government Technology to develop curriculum, training and professional development for County Commissioners and local transportation stakeholders.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation should review, evaluate and prepare a report on the statewide governance, configuration and organizational strategies in coordinating management, oversight and funding of all forms of transportation in the State.