Pike Pass

[5alive]

^^^^And if you don't use the turnpike that often, you can keep your balance at 20 or 30 dollars...it's up to you

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

It amazes me that anyone living in Oklahoma City or the metro in general would go without a pikepass. The turnpikes make going around the city so convenient and easy. But there's also a lack of understanding of the pikepasses among some people. They know they have to put 40 up front, but many seem to think that if they don't use the 40 dollars on the TPs in a certain amount of time, they lose it. I've talked to a couple people at work about this. They had no idea that, that 40 dollars will last forever if it's never used. I went three years without getting a PP after moving to the city. I've loved it ever since I got it.

Yes, agree. I hardly ever use a turnpike, but when I do, it's nice to have the pike pass. I never regretted getting, and enjoy the convenience the few times I use it. My balance is several years old.

[MagzOK]

I think part of the issue is that there is generally a lot of anti-turnpike sentiment around here. It's crazy but the way the highway funding has historically been here, if there wasn't a turnpike there would either be no highway or it would still be 50 years into the future before it was funded by regular state and federal funding mechanisms. Turnpikes are great IMO. I use them all over north Texas. Here, where there could be improvement is the transitioning on and off turnpikes like the Kilpatrick and all the on and offramps along Memorial. There just could be so much better reconstruction to help Memorial and May, Penn, Western, etc. Also adding an EB offramp to Santa Fe now that the turnpike plaza is no longer needed. That would alleviate a ton of the Western Ave intersection.

[scottk]

I think part of the issue is that there is generally a lot of anti-turnpike sentiment around here. It's crazy but the way the highway funding has historically been here, if there wasn't a turnpike there would either be no highway or it would still be 50 years into the future before it was funded by regular state and federal funding mechanisms. Turnpikes are great IMO. I use them all over north Texas. Here, where there could be improvement is the transitioning on and off turnpikes like the Kilpatrick and all the on and offramps along Memorial. There just could be so much better reconstruction to help Memorial and May, Penn, Western, etc. Also adding an EB offramp to Santa Fe now that the turnpike plaza is no longer needed. That would alleviate a ton of the Western Ave intersection.

That's what's surprising to me, the traffic counts on the metro turnpikes in OKC and Tulsa are some of the highest in the system and have the fewest miles of road to maintain. It would seem to make more sense to fix, as you pointed out, the on ramps and overall flow of Memorial and the Kilpatrick based upon current and future demand, instead of building turnpikes in very rural areas facing a lot of opposition.

DFW does this with the NTTA, it's all metro based, other than the southern end of the Chisholm Trail Turnpike.

KTA in Kansas has ONE turnpike to maintain and is kept up well. The Kansas Turnpike stretches from I-35 at the border and goes through Wichita, Emporia, Lawrence, Topeka, and ends in KC. ONE Turnpike that goes through most of their major cities!.

Oklahoma has a bunch of rural turnpikes that are convenient, but are cross pledged with the turnpikes that bring in a lot more money. I think if the Kilpatrick, Creek, and Turner had their tolls exclusively, we would see those systems much better maintained and improved upon quicker. My understanding is that the only way the Creek and Kilpatrick got built was a compromise for YES votes with rural legislators that wanted turnpikes even though the OTA said they would continually lose money on operating them due to the low traffic counts.

[Dob Hooligan]

That's what's surprising to me, the traffic counts on the metro turnpikes in OKC and Tulsa are some of the highest in the system and have the fewest miles of road to maintain. It would seem to make more sense to fix, as you pointed out, the on ramps and overall flow of Memorial and the Kilpatrick based upon current and future demand, instead of building turnpikes in very rural areas facing a lot of opposition.

DFW does this with the NTTA, it's all metro based, other than the southern end of the Chisholm Trail Turnpike.

KTA in Kansas has ONE turnpike to maintain and is kept up well. The Kansas Turnpike stretches from I-35 at the border and goes through Wichita, Emporia, Lawrence, Topeka, and ends in KC. ONE Turnpike that goes through most of their major cities!.

Oklahoma has a bunch of rural turnpikes that are convenient, but are cross pledged with the turnpikes that bring in a lot more money. I think if the Kilpatrick, Creek, and Turner had their tolls exclusively, we would see those systems much better maintained and improved upon quicker. My understanding is that the only way the Creek and Kilpatrick got built was a compromise for YES votes with rural legislators that wanted turnpikes even though the OTA said they would continually lose money on operating them due to the low traffic counts.

I have been raised on (and sold on) the concept that the high income roads bring better roads and the potential of quicker economic development to the rural areas. We might not love everything about Kilpatrick and Turner, but I think they function as a good compromise and use of money.

[mugofbeer]

Nm