Published: November 04, 2009 10:34 am      

Want to quiz ODOT?

For once, a public meeting in council chambers at City Hall to gather comments isn’t part of a city council meeting, but rather it’s a meeting called by a state agency seeking comments on transportation documents and issues.

The meeting, held by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation's Planning and Research Division, is set from 4 until 6 p.m. today in the council chambers at City Hall.

McAlester’s meeting is part of a series of meetings planned statewide this week.

The meetings will provide residents with information, access to ODOT's staff, and ways to comment on what the agency terms “two important transportation planning documents,” according to the state agency. Those two documents are the State Long Range Transportation Plan, and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan.

The State Long Range Transportation Plan is updated every five years, with the last update in 2005.

It's the plan that will represent the state agency's guiding transportation policies for the next 25 years.

Included in this plan are information and policies for highways, airports, rural transit, waterways, rail, pedestrians, and bicycles.

The plan is to address goals related to safety and security; accessibility and mobility; transportation system maintenance; freight/shipping options; transportation and the economy.

Residents will be asked to provide comments and propose future ideas for ODOT, according to the agency.

Also available for review, comment and discussion with ODOT personnel is the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan. It presents transportation projects scheduled by the state agency for the next four federal fiscal years. People will be asked to discuss these and any other projects they would like the agency to consider for addition to future programs with agency personnel.