Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is planning a new round of highway and bridge improvements across western Oklahoma, with projects in Beckham, Custer, Washita, Roger Mills and Greer counties included in the agency’s newly approved Eight-Year Construction Work Plan.

The Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved ODOT’s Federal Fiscal Year 2027-2034 plan this week. Statewide, the plan includes 1,229 highway and bridge projects valued at more than $7.3 billion. The projects are intended to address some of Oklahoma’s most pressing pavement, bridge and highway safety needs.

Much of western Oklahoma falls within ODOT District 5, and one of the most prominent projects in the new plan is in Beckham County.

ODOT lists planned modifications to I-40 interchanges in Elk City among the significant projects included in the statewide plan. The improvements come as Elk City continues to see development along the interstate corridor. Regional transportation planning documents have previously identified additional interchange work near the Walmart and Love's area for around 2030.

Custer County also has significant work planned. One project calls for widening and resurfacing approximately eight miles of SH-33 beginning about 4.5 miles east of US-183 and extending northeast toward Thomas. The project would add shoulders to the two-lane highway and is currently scheduled for fiscal year 2031. ODOT has estimated construction at about $17.4 million.

Interstate improvements are also planned around Clinton. The I-40 interchange serving the city has been targeted for improvements designed to maintain access to Clinton and nearby businesses while addressing four bridges considered at risk of becoming structurally deficient.

In Roger Mills County, US-283 remains a focus for improvements. Plans for the corridor call for pavement improvements and the addition of shoulders along US-283 from approximately eight miles north of the Beckham County line north to SH-47 at Cheyenne. The work is intended to improve safety along the rural highway.

Washita County is also targeted for rural highway improvements. A section of SH-152 beginning at SH-44 and extending approximately 5.5 miles east has been identified for grade, drainage and resurfacing work aimed at improving safety on the two-lane highway.

Additional pavement, bridge and highway improvements are planned throughout District 5, including work affecting Greer County as ODOT continues addressing aging infrastructure across southwest and western Oklahoma.

Statewide, the eight-year plan calls for improvements to 596 miles of rural two-lane highways and 2,980 lane-miles of pavement currently rated in fair or poor condition. ODOT also plans to repair or replace 188 at-risk bridges and address 10 bridges classified as structurally deficient.

However, ODOT officials caution that inclusion in the Eight-Year Construction Work Plan does not guarantee a project will remain on its current timetable. The plan is updated annually as funding, engineering needs and construction costs change.

Transportation Secretary and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz said inflation and fiscal constraints are making it increasingly difficult for the department to keep pace with Oklahoma's transportation needs. ODOT says the construction industry has experienced the equivalent of nearly 18 years of inflation since 2020, forcing several projects beyond the current eight-year planning window.

Despite those pressures, ODOT officials say projects moved outside the eight-year window remain priorities and will continue through the development process so they can advance when funding becomes available.

ODOT has used the Eight-Year Construction Work Plan process since 2002, with the agency’s eight district engineers reviewing needs each year before the updated plan goes to the Oklahoma Transportation Commission for approval.

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