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ODOT director previews Build America 250, autonomous truck testing and major projects
Summary
Director Gance told the commission that Congress is considering the Build America 250 bill as part of federal reauthorization and that it would, for the first time since 1993, include a federal registration fee on electric vehicles as a potential revenue source; he also gave updates on autonomous trucking tests by Aurora and Volvo and on major Oklahoma bridge and interchange projects.
Director Gance used the June 1 meeting to brief commissioners on federal and statewide transportation developments, including congressional work on a highway reauthorization and the House's Build America 250 proposal.
"For the first time since 1993, this bill includes a revenue raiser and that comes in the form of a registration fee at the federal level on electric vehicles," Director Gance said, describing the proposal as an example of potential new revenue streams to address the Highway Trust Fund shortfall. He cautioned that Congress faces a difficult path to enact a reauthorization before the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires at the end of September 2026, and that projected funding levels will not fully offset recent inflationary cost increases.
On technology, Director Gance described meetings with Aurora and Volvo about autonomous truck testing, saying the firms are operating in a fully autonomous mode on some Texas routes and are developing a route into Oklahoma between the Dallas'Fort Worth area and Oklahoma City. "Their goal is to eventually remove that safety driver and run this route fully autonomous," he said, but he emphasized the department and highway patrol would require robust safety demonstrations before approving driverless operations.
Director Gance also updated the commission on construction projects: the US 75 over 81st Street bridge replacement in Tulsa begins June 1 and will convert the interchange to a diverging diamond; Northwest Expressway/May Avenue will be converted through a city partnership; a project called "Crazy Corner" (State Highway 1 at Arlington and Mississippi) will remove two at-grade railroad crossings with an estimated budget of about $6 million; and US 69 bridge replacements in Durant are planned as a roughly $19 million project with incentives to accelerate work.
He closed with safety reminders (June'secure your load month) and announced a new Transportation Infrastructure Museum with a Route 66 focus.
