Constitution of Oklahoma — Article XVI: Public Roads, Highways, and Internal Improvements

Publisher edition notice: This collection preserves the Legislature's complete linked RTF, whose internal creation date is January 4, 2022. The catalog's later update date does not establish the edition of this file; later amendments have not been independently verified.

Article XVI

ARTICLE XVI - Public Roads, Highways, and Internal Improvements

SECTION XVI-1. Powers of Legislature respecting highways. The Legislature is directed to establish a Department of Highways, and shall have the power to create improvement districts and provide for building and maintaining public roads, and may provide for the utilization of convict and punitive labor thereon.

SECTION XVI-2. Acceptance of lands granted or reserved for highway. The State of Oklahoma hereby accepts all reservations and lands for public highways made under any grant, agreement, treaty, or act of Congress: Provided, This section shall not be construed to prejudice the vested rights of any tribe, allottee, or other person to any such land.

SECTION XVI-3. System of levees, drains, and ditches and irrigation. The Legislature shall have power and shall provide for a system of levees, drains, and ditches and of irrigation in this State when deemed expedient, and provide for a system of taxation on the lands affected or benefited by such levees, drains, and ditches and irrigation, or on crops produced on such land, to discharge such bonded indebtedness or expenses necessarily incurred in the establishment of such improvements; and to provide for compulsory issuance of bonds by the owners or lessees of the lands benefited or affected by such levees, drains, and ditches or irrigation.