Jeremy Smith recently was named the Maintenance Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. Smith most recently served as Maintenance program coordinator since 2022, overseeing the agency’s fleet purchases, maintenance training including the Certified Transportation Equipment Operators program among other duties.
In his new role, Smith will supervise turnpike maintenance crews who work on all 630 miles of Oklahoma turnpikes as well as all annual maintenance planning, budget and contract oversight.
The Maintenance Division is responsible for maintaining the road surface, bridges, overpasses, building structures and right-of-way. In addition to these day-to-day items, maintenance employees respond as dispatched to emergency situations throughout the year. These emergencies include, but are not limited to, snow and ice removal, motorist crashes and assists, fires, chemical spills, occasional livestock on roadways, severe storms and more.
A native Oklahoman, Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice in 2005 and a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety in 2018, both from the University of Central Oklahoma. He originally joined the OTA in 2000 and has served nearly 20 years with the state of Oklahoma in a variety of roles with the Authority including I-44/Turner Turnpike maintenance supervisor and I-44/H.E. Bailey maintenance superintendent before moving into the assistant safety director in 2015.
Smith became the OTA safety director in 2018 followed by serving as the Maintenance program coordinator.
Source: press release
