Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) held its June Transportation Commission meeting on June 4, 2025, honoring the commitment of its crews to workplace safety. ODOT Executive Director Tim?Gatz and Assistant Director of Operations Taylor?Henderson presented several awards recognizing districts for their safety achievements in 2024.

Among the award winners was District 5, headquartered in Clinton. Led by District Engineer Brent Almquist and Safety Manager Kenneth Carlisle, the district earned the Progressive Excellence Award for showing the most improvement in safety in 2024. District 5 reduced both accident rates and lost workdays across Roger Mills, Beckham, Harmon, Greer, Jackson, Dewey, Custer, Washita, Kiowa, Tillman, and Blaine counties.

Further highlighting District 5's performance, the Sayre Yard Maintenance Crew received the prestigious Director’s Safety Award, recognizing their outstanding efforts in training, equipment upkeep, and daily safety practices.

Other award winners included District 6, which received the Governor’s Safety Excellence Award for maintaining top safety metrics across its field operations in Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Ellis, Woodward, Woods, Alfalfa, and Major counties.