Feds approve Oklahoma DOT's five-year freight plan

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) has received federal approval of its freight transportation plan for 2018 to 2022.

The plan outlines freight trends and traffic forecasts to identify major freight transportation projects that will be needed in the state, ODOT officials said in a press release.

The projects would help the state develop partnerships and target economic growth across all transportation modes.

Nearly 58 percent of all freight in Oklahoma is moved by truck, while 41 percent is transported by rail. More than 800 million tons of freight with an estimated value of $1.3 billion are transported in the state annually by truck, rail and waterway.

"With an expected growth of 45 percent in trucking over the next 30 years, it's important to examine our transportation corridors, take advantage of the funding available and improve our system to lend infrastructure support to a thriving economy," said ODOT Director of Capital Programs Dawn Sullivan.

Projects identified in the plan are in line with the federal Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act  of 2015. Although the FAST Act does not provide additional funding, it designates a portion of existing federal funding specifically for freight improvements.