Former U.S. Senator Inhofe Leaves Transportation Investment Legacy

What happened: Former U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who died July 9 at age 89, is being remembered for his strong support of increased transportation investment. Winner of the 2004 ARTBA Award—the association’s highest honor—Inhofe was a political conservative instrumental in the development of multiple federal highway and transit program reauthorization laws.

Inhofe chaired the Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW) in 2005 when Congress approved the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). He spearheaded passage of 2012’s MAP-21. And in 2015, he reached across the aisle to work with then Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) to make the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act the law of the land.

What they’re saying: “Senator Inhofe was a legend in Oklahoma politics,” said ARTBA 2024 Chair Tim Duit, an Oklahoma contractor who knew Inhofe well. “He was the longest serving U.S. Senator in Oklahoma history, and was truly a kind, caring and sincere Christian man who always wanted to help improve and modernize both the state and national infrastructure network.”

“Senator Inhofe’s staunch conservative voting records were not inconsistent with his remarkable bipartisan infrastructure leadership,” said former ARTBA President Pete Ruane, who worked with Inhofe on transportation policy issues for decades. “He just believed the federal government had major obligations to keep our defense and economic base readiness as competitive as possible. He was a rare tough leader we all respected and cherished.”

Past ARTBA Chair Rich Wagman (left) presented Sen. Inhofe with the 2004 ARTBA Award on Capitol Hill.