Figured it was time to create a dedicated thread just for this project, rather than it all going in the standard OTA one.

I really hate to say this because in light of how The Oklahoman and Steve in particular has been regarding ripping off work from OKCTalk I’ve tried to be cool with everyone and I’ll message Steve from time to time just be nice but he’s either completely ignorant or pushing his anti car crap even though he lives in the suburbs which makes him a f@cking hypocrite.


A look at the ACCESS Oklahoma map shows Sunset Memorial Park, Lilac Cemetery, Dripping Springs Cemetery and Blackburn Cemetery all within shaded areas showing where the toll roads will be built.

I’m tired of seeing this crap. It’s been repeated time and time again that access Oklahoma projects are in the early stages of engineering and planning and that the routes and proposed ROW will be significantly reduced within 100-200 feet of ROW. I’ve talked with the Pike Off founder and he’s a very nice guy who just wants to preserve his lifestyle and I can see both sides but I’m sick of the purposely misinformation being spread by publications like KFOR and The Oklahoman who are just using this small group of people to make controversy where there really isn’t much.

The amount of recycled articles from these clowns has to be nearing 100 if it hasn’t already exceeded that number. Access Oklahoma is a great plan and one I hope is expedited so we can see even more freeways built in the near future.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2022/09/19/oklahoma-families-worry-about-impact-of-new-turnpikes-on-adjoining-cemeteries/69493380007/

PS, yes I’m aware that it is explained the shaded parts of the proposed ROW will be reduced but it’s always said after the typical talking point of the ridiculous 700 homes will be taken number that has no basis in reality. There are scores of projects around the country that are taking homes for infrastructure projects. Thankfully the anti car/freeway nut jobs haven’t really formed any stronghold in Oklahoma, yet. I despise public transportation and will always support car infrastructure. That’s my personal opinion though we should absolutely invest in alternative modes of transit it isn’t being done right in the states. Now we have two different groups of people wanting to come together and stop freeway expansions. Oh boy, I sure can’t wait for that subway to open up under the 405 in 2047.

PPS, out of respect to Pete I’ve been trying to refrain from posting articles from the Jokelahoman or KFOR but I just wanted to point this out. I will also say the OTA isn’t doing themselves any favors by not allowing a free section of the Gilcrease Tollway to be free for local traffic which would amount to a very small revenue loss. They need to get on the ball with moving the final designs and plans so they can put these ridiculous rumors of how much land they’ll be taking to rest. That should help them with their publicity. If I had my choice I’d vote for Stitt just due to the fact he supports this expansion and the other candidate doesn’t regardless of how much I don’t like that guy.

Would probably be better to keep discussion of the Access Oklahoma projects to this thread to keep discussions separate.

Little bit of good news that Tim Gatz doesn’t seem deterred by recent news.


OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority must push ahead with a proposed turnpike extension through Norman despite pending litigation, public opposition and an audit, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz said Wednesday.

All the pushback doesn’t diminish the need to complete the metro’s outer loop to move traffic safely and efficiently as the population continues to grow, Gatz said during a lunchtime forum hosted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported the “phenomenal growth” of 109,000 people in the Oklahoma City metro area from 2020 to 2023, he said.

“We’re going to continue to see that growth,” he said. “You’ve got to have reliever routes to manage that traffic.”

Gatz is executive director of both the OTA and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. He opened his remarks by saying the OTA is doing “everything we can to alleviate any concerns the attorney general has” and to work with State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd.

Last week, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond requested an investigative audit of the OTA, citing concerns about its financial conduct that came from legislators, community leaders, residents and state employees. Drummond said the complaints include improper transfers between the OTA and ODOT; improper contracting and purchasing practices; and inadequate internal financial controls.

Asked after the forum about the negative response to the plan for a southern extension of the Kickapoo Turnpike – running from Interstate 40 in Oklahoma City to Interstate 35 near Purcell – Gatz said it was not unlike the pushback to the realignment of the I-40 Crosstown and the construction of the Kickapoo Turnpike.

“Making those kinds of improvements is never easy and it’s something that we have to take very serious,” he said. “I don’t minimize those concerns.”

Improvements to help alleviate traffic on I-35 and Interstate 44 in south Oklahoma City are part of Access Oklahoma, a $5 billion, 15-year, long-range plan to addresses highway infrastructure needs across the Oklahoma turnpike network.

“Typically, we do things in five-year increments,” Gatz said. “With Access Oklahoma we developed a long-range vision of needs and strategies” that will help transportation officials answer questions from the public about when to expect improvements where they live.

ODOT never has been able to meet all the highway needs of the state, Gatz said. “The Turnpike Authority can be a difference-maker.”

It is funded by user fees – 40% come from out-of-state drivers – which helps ODOT extend the tax dollars and resources it receives, he said.

Not only do the turnpikes divert traffic off busy interstate and state highways, they also have spurred economic develop along their routes, Gatz said.

Chamber President and CEO Christy Gillenwater said infrastructure that is well thought out and intentional is important to business – in getting workers to work, moving product in and out, and attracting and retaining companies and talent.

The need for improved infrastructure to move traffic safely and efficiently extends statewide, Gatz said.

ODOT is widening a little more than 1 mile of 1-35 approaching the Red River in advance of a six-lane bridge project that is a partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Chickasaw Nation, he said.

Texas is widening I-35 to a minimum of six lanes and that traffic will be coming north into Oklahoma. “What do we do with it? That falls to ODOT,” Gatz said. “They’re going to have to figure out how to continue to widen I-35.”

- https://journalrecord.com/2023/03/22/gatz-turnpike-plan-must-press-forward-despite-opposition/

And a link from KFOR about the protest at the Capitol today: https://kfor.com/news/local/opponents-of-the-turnpike-expansion-rally-at-oklahoma-state-capitol/

i'm still kind of shocked we haven't gotten the State Supreme Court ruling yet.

Yeah I had heard January 16thish

Glad to see this on it's own thread. Just posting this link here in case someone needed to find it. https://www.accessoklahoma.com/

i tried the new thread awhile back, and until Plutonic panda tried to resurrect it today, it was unsuccessful. lol

^^^^ once the court cases are finished and the OTA can move forward It might be worth creating new threads on some of the individual projects as they will be pretty massive.

^^^^ once the court cases are finished and the OTA can move forward It might be worth creating new threads on some of the individual projects as they will be pretty massive.

yes, and with the fact that some seem like no brainers that everyone is in favor of, and several will get more and more heated while they continue forward.

State Supreme Court rules against Pike Off Oklahoma. so there goes that legal challenge. i now suspect that they will continue to get the bonds and start the projects up again soon.

https://kfor.com/news/local/oklahoma-supreme-court-issues-ruling-in-ota-case/

This is great news. I can’t wait to see dirt turning for these projects.

This is great news. I can’t wait to see dirt turning for these projects.

same. i sometimes think i'm the only Norman resident looking forward to these.

same. i sometimes think i'm the only Norman resident looking forward to these.

I really think it's more than you think. I have a handful of close friends who live in different parts of Norman and they are all excited.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that this still isn't the case that ultimately decides whether or not OTA can issue new bonds?

Ah yes, here is a news 9 article. The battle isn’t over yet: https://www.news9.com/story/646ce1a31a04dd072c7722cb/oklahoma-supreme-court-rules-against-group-opposing-ota-plan

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but it seems that this still isn't the case that ultimately decides whether or not OTA can issue new bonds?

100pct correct. Lazy media doing lazy reporting.

18045

It's all delaying the inevitable. If you're one of those affected residents, you get to stay a little longer, but I certainly wouldn't invest anything in my home if I were you. The hammer is going to come down in favor of OTA. It just may take a indirect path to get there.

Not sure why the Off pike people keep spending money on this losing battle. How else do they think the OTA would fund the expansion/improvements? Just like anything else, they finance it and pay it out through increased tolls. It will continue and ready to see it progress. Will have a big benefit to I35, Hwy 9 and traffic in the area.

Not sure why the Off pike people keep spending money on this losing battle. How else do they think the OTA would fund the expansion/improvements? Just like anything else, they finance it and pay it out through increased tolls. It will continue and ready to see it progress. Will have a big benefit to I35, Hwy 9 and traffic in the area.

If someone knocked on your door and told you they were taking ownership of your land/property you've owned for years, you would likely fight it until the end as well.

Any time a person or family have to lose their dwelling--it's a tragic piece we all have to deal with in the so-called greater good of progress. My mom went thru this in the 70s when Urban Renewal wiped out many homes and my mother's back duplex (additional income) on the East side of OKC that led to I-235 divider and we were relocated to Oak Cliff (Voctech) area.

So, I know first hand what families affected by road infrastructure have to give up through the process. The delays and the uncertainty only adds to the insecurity and the whole stress of relocation.

If someone knocked on your door and told you they were taking ownership of your land/property you've owned for years, you would likely fight it until the end as well.

of course this is an oversimplication ..

Love to see it. Ready to see this get started.

If someone knocked on your door and told you they were taking ownership of your land/property you've owned for years, you would likely fight it until the end as well.

They can be upset about losing their home (final route hasn't even been determined yet nor has the amount of homes that will need to be cleared) but to spend money when they will inevitably lose is just not smart. Hate that anyone is going to lose their home but glad they will be compensated and can relocate elsewhere.

If someone knocked on your door and told you they were taking ownership of your land/property you've owned for years, you would likely fight it until the end as well.

Not if the compensation is fair.

It really is more complicated than that, but i get what you're saying.

If you're retired, you've built a home for decades, with certain ideas in mind for what that retirement looks like. A lot of these homes are on larger plots of land that they may have manicured and homes they they have worked on for years. It's mentally difficult and even physically so for that group.

Delaying makes that even more difficult for them and wastes that money that they need fore retirement. But i dont think we can honestly answer what we would do unless we're in the situation.

For me, i'm excited to see these happen to offload that traffic (the interchange changes have zero impact on how many people go that way so i dont buy that argument about the numbers game). Diverting away from the 35/40 junctions is a good thing.

If someone knocked on your door and told you they were taking ownership of your land/property you've owned for years, you would likely fight it until the end as well.

And end up losing. You live in the land of eminent domain.

Another victory for OTA. I think this is a good indication on how the OK Supreme Court will rule in future cases.

https://kfor.com/news/local/ok-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-ota-in-open-meetings-act-challenge/

And end up losing. You live in the land of eminent domain.

Also could be worse, a guy named Andrew Jackson could have kick you off your land under poor terms and have the army March you halfway across the country. No one likes having their property taken, but at least its your democratic tribe doing the taking and not another tribe.

Edit sorry Jackson.

Another victory for OTA. I think this is a good indication on how the OK Supreme Court will rule in future cases.

https://kfor.com/news/local/ok-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-ota-in-open-meetings-act-challenge/

yep. this is two rulings in their favor. i think we see the writing on the wall now.

I haven't looked into their actual cases enough to know how solid they are, but obviously the two that failed were pretty sparse. Seems like they threw a bunch of hay to slow things down in general. They are still stuck until they are allowed to proceed with issuing bonds. Anyone know how solid the final case is to stop them? It does seem that the supreme court is taking a much more lenient line with OTA than the lower courts.

As much as some like the idea of a new, less congested road between Norman and OKC, it's all fun and games until it's your cherished property that is being bulldozed against your will. Eminent domain sucks. There aren't a ton of dream homes in this area, but definitely some properties that people have invested time and emotion into. The first phase of the Kickapoo turnpike had some drama over some of the properties taken already. I guess in the end, nothing around here is built to last anyway...

. Eminent domain sucks...

well sure ... but it is legal .. the public meeting ruling was pretty simple and basic ...

well sure ... but it is legal .. the public meeting ruling was pretty simple and basic ...
And anyone that is against it should go live in a cave since it’s been used for so many highway, electrical, and water infrastructure and so on.

The best way to avoid Eminent Domain is to move to a densely populated neighborhood. Even if you avoid it, your kid or grand kids are going to sell your dream home to a developer the moment they have a chance.

The best way to avoid Eminent Domain is to move to a densely populated neighborhood. Even if you avoid it, your kid or grand kids are going to sell your dream home to a developer the moment they have a chance.

I had to laugh a bit at that. I'm thinking about so many of the former farmer plots that have turned into sub divisions as families stop doing the work their grandpappy did and sell. My own home is one of those that benefitted from one of those sells. The land it was built on, was Moore farmland just 10 years ago in the middle of nothing. Now, there are several hundred homes here. But we're at least close enough (but far enough) from 2 interstates, to not worry about eminent domain.

ED has been used to do a lot of bad in the city, but it's also been used to do a lot of good. It was heavily used in MWC for the 29th st development. The city "lost" the eventual case on that, but did they really lose? I mean they paid the plaintiff more money, but I'm pretty sure the city came out a million times ahead on the development with tax income. It's done major damage in downtown with Pei's Plan. It destroyed the neighborhoods where 235 went in, but it created a much needed corridor. It's never a cut and dry situation. It always has its winners and losers. I would say that, at least in what I have seen in my lifetime, it has been used to do more good than bad because most of the groups exercising it these days, have learned from past mistakes on how it can do major harm.

I had to laugh a bit at that. I'm thinking about so many of the former farmer plots that have turned into sub divisions as families stop doing the work their grandpappy did and sell. My own home is one of those that benefitted from one of those sells. The land it was built on, was Moore farmland just 10 years ago in the middle of nothing. Now, there are several hundred homes here. But we're at least close enough (but far enough) from 2 interstates, to not worry about eminent domain.

ED has been used to do a lot of bad in the city, but it's also been used to do a lot of good. It was heavily used in MWC for the 29th st development. The city "lost" the eventual case on that, but did they really lose? I mean they paid the plaintiff more money, but I'm pretty sure the city came out a million times ahead on the development with tax income. It's done major damage in downtown with Pei's Plan. It destroyed the neighborhoods where 235 went in, but it created a much needed corridor. It's never a cut and dry situation. It always has its winners and losers. I would say that, at least in what I have seen in my lifetime, it has been used to do more good than bad because most of the groups exercising it these days, have learned from past mistakes on how it can do major harm.

It would be interesting to compare the amount of Eminent Domain cases in Texas and comparable places that build their loops and freeways well ahead of any substantial developments to "anticipate growth" versus the reactive instances we seem to have here.

It would be interesting to compare the amount of Eminent Domain cases in Texas and comparable places that build their loops and freeways well ahead of any substantial developments to "anticipate growth" versus the reactive instances we seem to have here.

If you know the area along l-35E north of LBJ expressway where l-35 is/has been widened, you would be convinced ED has been used extensively (or land/business owners have been very cooperative in selling their properties). As long as the government can show the property acquisition is for the public good (creating jobs, new tax revenues, needed new highway capacity), ED can bu used - and is used everywhere.

I'm having to eat my words on Lackmeyer this week. It's really odd. He has a second article this week with some good data and points.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2023/06/15/oklahoma-turnpike-authority-access-new-route-bond-approval/70327819007/

Looks like, unsurprisingly, things are still on track.

I read the Oklahoman article and I really started thinking about this highway. I may be wrong, but I just can't see that it's going to take a ton of traffic off the current highway system.

If you're traveling inside the metro area from Norman/Moore to OKC/Edmond, you're not using this highway. It's too far east to do you any good.

If you're a cross country traveler going from east to west along I-40, you're obviously not using this highway.

If you're a cross country traveler going along I-35 from Texas to points north of OK, or from points north of OK to Texas, you're not going 20-30 miles out of your way to loop east and then west to use this highway.

If you're headed from points northeast along I-44, say St. Louis/Chicago to points west, say New Mexico or California, you're not using this highway, and vice versa.

If you're going from Texas to points northeast, or vice versa, you're likely using Highway 69 through McAlester (unless you happen to be going to the Ft. Worth side of DFW). This is the route most people I know that live in MO take.

I just don't understand who is going to be using this highway.

^^^ well traffic counts for the existing portion are already well above projections and I suspect that will also be the case when the southern segment opens and they are already planning a northern segment to go around east Edmond and connect up near SH-33. I bet it becomes a very crucial road one day.

^^^ well traffic counts for the existing portion are already well above projections and I suspect that will also be the case when the southern segment opens and they are already planning a northern segment to go around east Edmond and connect up near SH-33. I bet it becomes a very crucial road one day.

I suppose if they build a northern alignment to connect up with I-35 north of Edmond, then I can see people from northern Oklahoma, Wichita, etc. using it to get to I-40 eastbound. So I will grant you that.

I suppose if they build a northern alignment to connect up with I-35 north of Edmond, then I can see people from northern Oklahoma, Wichita, etc. using it to get to I-40 eastbound. So I will grant you that.

If I were going from DFW to Tulsa or Kansas City, I would definitely use it. To Tulsa, I would not have to go thru Norman, Moore, and OKC. To KC via Tulsa, Joplin, and I49 would also have the same benefit.

DFW to Tulsa, yes, I see that.

DFW to Kansas City, really? The traffic is SO bad on I-35 that you would veer that far out off the way? I guess to each their own but it feels like that would tack an extra 30-45 minutes to the trip. That highway is really far east where it crosses Turner.

Dallas to literally any location northeast of Vinita (including your Joplin/I-49 idea) and I can't believe you wouldn't use Highway 69 through McAlester. That shaves a whole lot of time off. But again to each their own.

To me, the purpose is a couple of things, and working in conjunction with the west spur.

1, offload traffic from 35 that would be going east or west bound on 40. That's where the partnership with the west spurn comes in.
2, route the I44 through traffic up so it goes right up to the junction near Chandler (or wherever that is, i can't remember exactly).
I agree that I don't think it will have any meaningful impact on in-town driving.

Now that east-west line, may help move traffic along getting from far east sides of Norman, over to the interstate. But i don't think that's it's real purpose.

^^^ well traffic counts for the existing portion are already well above projections and I suspect that will also be the case when the southern segment opens and they are already planning a northern segment to go around east Edmond and connect up near SH-33. I bet it becomes a very crucial road one day.

The Kickapoo saw about 6000 cars a day in 2022 and 5000 in 2021. Most 2-lane arterials in the city get more traffic than this

Edit: Heres the numbers straight from OTA: https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/ota/documents/average-daily-traffic/2022/TurnpikeAuthority_AADT_2022_Kickapoo_Web.pdf

Wow, a whole 6000 cars a day? Exactly my point. So far this road does not make logical sense.

To be fair, right now that turnpike REALLY does not go anywhere. I honestly have zero idea who uses it right now. I do think it will improve when the northern segment and southern segment get built. But I mean those numbers are really going to have to increase a lot for there to be any meaningful reduction in I-35 traffic.

Wow, a whole 6000 cars a day? Exactly my point. So far this road does not make logical sense.

To be fair, right now that turnpike REALLY does not go anywhere. I honestly have zero idea who uses it right now. I do think it will improve when the northern segment and southern segment get built. But I mean those numbers are really going to have to increase a lot for there to be any meaningful reduction in I-35 traffic.

keep in mind that there is no current plan for the northern segment

The Kickapoo saw about 6000 cars a day in 2022 and 5000 in 2021. Most 2-lane arterials in the city get more traffic than this

Edit: Heres the numbers straight from OTA: https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/ota/documents/average-daily-traffic/2022/TurnpikeAuthority_AADT_2022_Kickapoo_Web.pdf
Whatever the case is the actual counts were higher than initially projected and I guarantee if you are already biased against roads in general or just these projects(not saying you are) and using these numbers as a “see this road shouldn’t have been built” argument you will be nowhere to be found when they inevitably jump to 50+ thousand cars a day which will happen. Plenty of roads are built and see low traffic volumes for sometime and prove to be valuable in the future. That’s called planning.

I’m also pretty impressed that 6,000 cars a day use this road at this point given it seems to be a road to nowhere right now. OKC isn’t exactly a traffic choked city and I can’t see too many people making use of this road currently while many free options exist on roads that have little to no traffic congestion. So 6,000 cars a day is pretty impressive at this time.

keep in mind that there is no current plan for the northern segment
There’s no publicly released plan but it is on the OTAs radar. A couple local representatives have even started talks with the OTA and are authoring bills to ensure the madness currently happening with ongoing Access Oklahoma plan won’t happen with a northern extension.

While I think this road is ridiculous, I will concede the following point to PluPan. New highways often do start with limited traffic.

I was in grade school when they built the Kilpatrick from I-35 to Lake Hefner Parkway. And I remember we all joked around about how you could sit down in the middle of the road and play a game, there was so little traffic on it. Fast forward 30 years and it is a necessary, and well-traveled highway.

The difference is there is a natural contingency of people in North OKC that use that highway in the course of natural commuting patterns. They have also built countless businesses and thousands and thousands of homes within a few miles of that road. There is not going to be meaningful residential and commercial development that far east in our lifetimes, and also there is no natural commuting pattern, and not very many cross-country patterns that that serves.

Just my opinion.

Whatever the case is the actual counts were higher than initially projected and I guarantee if you are already biased against roads in general or just these projects(not saying you are) and using these numbers as a “see this road shouldn’t have been built” argument you will be nowhere to be found when they inevitably jump to 50+ thousand cars a day which will happen. Plenty of roads are built and see low traffic volumes for sometime and prove to be valuable in the future. That’s called planning.
.

I know what planning is. Its what I do for a living. No need to be condescending when presented with data.

I know what planning is. It’s what I do for a living. No need to be condescending when presented with data.
You plan for a living but don’t understand the concept of the traffic growth? You also don’t realize this is part of a larger project either? So if you understand it why scrutinize it? Maybe I’m misunderstanding you. . .

You see more of an impact when it comes to freight. Saving 15 to 30 minutes to avoid the city during rush hour traffic is a bigger deal when you have deadlines to meet.

You see more of an impact when it comes to freight. Saving 15 to 30 minutes to avoid the city during rush hour traffic is a bigger deal when you have deadlines to meet.

Yeah my belief is that the biggest benefit of the Kickapoo will be to take a good chunk of the I-35 --> I-40/I-44 truck traffic (and vice versa) out of the city once the south extension to I-35 is completed.

You see more of an impact when it comes to freight. Saving 15 to 30 minutes to avoid the city during rush hour traffic is a bigger deal when you have deadlines to meet.

Yep using this to get to 44/Turner from 35 is going to be a massive benefit

Regarding who currently uses the Kickapoo, I know people in Shawnee that use it when traveling to the Memorial area of OKC to avoid traveling through the center of the city.

I'm not a fan of toll roads, but i will say that it makes it a lot easier to get up to the Harrah area than stopping every mile going up Anderson or something.

Honestly, i think once the southern spur is connected, you'll see a LOT more traffic on this east side. For I-44 traffic, you'll have the ability to totally bypass OKC. Now, i dont have any idea how many trucking companies allow their drivers to use toll roads when there's an alternative, but it'll be there for those that can use it.

No it's not a main artery right now, but I expect that if they add more exist (there really aren't many today), then you'll see more development spurred at those areas.

From The Journal Record:


The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority intends to adjust its route for a toll road located west of Lake Thunderbird if the state Supreme Court allows it to sell bonds for the project.

As prompted by the court, the authority last week filed a response to the pending bond validation proceeding for its $5 billion Access Oklahoma plan. The court asked the agency to explain why it allowed the approval of $500 million in bonds for the plan to expire and whether realignment of a southern extension toll road should be addressed before the validation proceeding completes.

If the state Supreme Court decides to validate the bonds, the OTA will resubmit an application to the Council of Bond Oversight and work with the Bureau of Reclamation to change the alignment of the planned south extension, which runs north and south just west of Lake Thunderbird, according to an OTA release.

Opponents of the OTA’s extension proposal raised various concerns.

Michael Nash, who will take over as the councilor for Ward 5 in east Norman next month, said a south extension toll road in the Lake Thunderbird watershed is not legislatively authorized, referencing a law implemented in 1987 that allowed for certain turnpike expansion routes.

“The OTA believes the Supreme Court should approve whatever they put forward,” Nash said. “It’s the most brazen act of disregard for the public and for any process that we’ve established in our state government. It’s just outright disrespectful to the people that live here.”

State Rep. Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh, said he’s unsure how the OTA can adjust the route for the southern extension toll road.

There’s just not that much room to go further west,” Sterling said. “You’re getting into the heart of east Norman residential areas.”

Sterling said he believes a need for additional infrastructure exists in east Norman, but residents in the area of the new route deserve more transparency in the process than what was given to those in the path of the originally proposed plan.

State Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, said following the February 2022 rollout of the OTA’s plan, Norman residents knew they were going to have to take care of their legal rights.

“They knew they weren’t going to be able to trust the OTA to respect and honor their property rights,” Boren said.

The court required the OTA’s response following its ruling that reversed a district court decision that the authority violated the Open Meetings Act when it unveiled turnpike expansion plans at the tail-end of a February 2022 board meeting without sufficiently disclosing its details in a meeting agenda.

The Bureau of Reclamation in January denied the OTA’s initial request for usage of federal land and easements across east Norman title land to connect its proposed south extension to an east-west connector road.

Following the denial, the OTA believes a route is possible in another area across its easements.

Reclamation told the OTA in January that it doesn’t object to the authority routing the turnpike across Norman Project Pipeline and flowage easements if the crossings are designed in a way that doesn’t interfere with “Reclamation’s easement interests or impact operation, maintenance and replacement” of Norman pipeline infrastructure.

- https://journalrecord.com/2023/06/21/oklahoma-turnpike-authority-adjusting-route-of-controversial-extension/?utm_term=OTA%20adjusting%20route%20of%20controver sial%20extension&utm_campaign=Holt%3A%20New%20OKC%20arena%20plan%20 coming%20this%20summer&utm_content=Editorial&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=OKC&email=plutonicpanda@gmail.com

From the map you can just transformative this is going to be the south metro. This will be an absolute game changer and will spur TONS of new development. Buckle up and I can’t wait to see the massive stack interchange at I-35.

https://journalrecord.com/files/2023/06/je-turnpike-875x548.png

It will generate tons of new sprawl for sure. I'm not hugely excited about seeing endless tracts of copy-paste houses, gas stations, and the same handful of fast food joints every few miles. Still, the silver lining is that getting to DFW and Norman from Tulsa will be easier, not to mention the obvious metro benefits for OKC.

I just wish growth didn't equal mindless sprawl.