Access Oklahoma Turnpike Projects

[Plutonic Panda]

Here’s a KFOR article: https://kfor.com/news/local/state-su...ew-toll-roads/

I’m so excited about this. I live freeways and stack interchanges and this will bring many to OKC. I can’t wait!

[citywokchinesefood]

Here’s a KFOR article: https://kfor.com/news/local/state-su...ew-toll-roads/

I’m so excited about this. I live freeways and stack interchanges and this will bring many to OKC. I can’t wait!

PP be honest, have you had "intimate relations" with a car?

[Plutonic Panda]

PP be honest, have you had "intimate relations" with a car?

I won’t confirm or deny whether or not a fleshlight can fit into a tailpipe.

[jedicurt]

I won’t confirm or deny whether or not a fleshlight can fit into a tailpipe.

um....well..... so..... about these new projects. which ones do we think are going to be completed first?

[Pete]

Press release:

***********

Oklahoma Supreme Court rules for full validation of new turnpike routes
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority appreciates the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision affirming OTA’s statutory authority to build new turnpike alignments proposed in the ACCESS Oklahoma $5 billion, 15-year long-range plan. This plan is designed to Advance and Connect Communities and Economies Safely Statewide.

First announced as a long-range plan in December 2021, ACCESS Oklahoma includes construction projects across the turnpike network, such as widening the I-44/Turner, I-44/Will Rogers, and John Kilpatrick turnpikes as well as adding and enhancing nearly two dozen access points along existing turnpikes. The program also includes rehabilitating numerous bridges, finishing the loop around Tulsa’s northwest side and building reliever routes in the Oklahoma City metro, completing the Outer Loop.

Today’s ruling is the 14th time the OTA has received bond validation from the Supreme Court for new turnpike routes since 1950.

“This bond validation creates certainty for OTA, its bondholders and citizens who now know without doubt that these final three legs of the Oklahoma City Outer Loop meet the legislative intent to provide reliever routes through the metro area and fight increasing traffic congestion,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz. “This allows one of the most ambitious state transportation plans in Oklahoma history to move forward. It will increase safety and travel reliability, provide new connections to communities and improve traffic flow by integrating with the state highway system.”

Today’s ruling allows the OTA to confidently return to the Council of Bond Oversight to reapply for approval to issue up to $500 million in bonds and to begin the process of selling bonds to fund planning and construction of three proposed turnpike alignments in the Oklahoma City metro area and to improve existing toll roads. It’s worth noting, turnpike revenue bonds are payable solely from the tolls and other OTA revenues and do not constitute indebtedness of the state.

In the coming weeks, OTA engineers and consultants will resume their diligent work on the ACCESS Oklahoma plan, including working with our federal, state and local partners, to develop the best solutions for the three newly validated routes as well as the entire ACCESS program.

The OTA is committed to paying close attention to Oklahoma’s increasing traffic congestion, as well as to any adverse effects on people, property and the environment.

For more information and project updates, visit the ACCESS Oklahoma website or call the ACCESS Oklahoma hotline at 1-844-562-2237.

For background:

The need for reliever routes into the southern Oklahoma City metro area is undeniable. In 2019, law enforcement officials responded to an average of five traffic-related crashes every day on I-35 between I-40 and Purcell. Transportation officials predict that in just seven years, motorists driving during peak travel times will experience a significant surge in stop-and-go conditions, causing a shockwave in traffic delays. It’s worth noting, the five collisions daily do not include unreported incidents when drivers simply exchange insurance information.

[jn1780]

agreed. this is great news. hopefully we will now get an updated timeline and project order. i'm really hoping for the bridge across the river from 44 to 35 being done quickly.

The priority will be to widen the Turner all the way to Oklahoma City.

[Plutonic Panda]

The priority will be to widen the Turner all the way to Oklahoma City.

That is not the priority. The priority is for the South OKC Metro Projects.

[jdross1982]

That is not the priority. The priority is for the South OKC Metro Projects.

Not in the near future it isn't. The new turnpike extensions will take years before construction starts. Expanding Turner, Will Rogers and John Kilpatrick along with improvements to interchanges are first. All will come at much cheaper price tags and have a more immediate impact on traffic.

[jdross1982]

Turner, JKP, Will Rogers and improvements to interchanges = 2.105 billion. Gilcrease, Tri-City, East/West and South Ext = 2.895 billion.

[Midtowner]

And the landowners will join those before them with all of the defunct anti-turnpike websites, dead FB groups, etc. They'll all move, get their checks and our metros will progress. In the end, all of these FOIA requests and Open Meetings objections cost nothing but a few months. They were focused on the process where they might have better spent their time and energy making sure that the compensation offered by OTA was fair.

I do like that our FOIA and Open Meetings laws' teeth became a little stronger through the process in that OTA was forced to a do-over for their non-compliance.

[jn1780]

Not in the near future it isn't. The new turnpike extensions will take years before construction starts. Expanding Turner, Will Rogers and John Kilpatrick along with improvements to interchanges are first. All will come at much cheaper price tags and have a more immediate impact on traffic.

Yeah, The Turner followed by the Will Rogers are OTA's cash cows. There is a reason why Play by plate is last on these two turnpikes. OTA wants to make sure they have everything right with it before dumping cash entirely.

[BoulderSooner]

all of these projects will get going around the same time ..

[jompster]

The priority will be to widen the Turner all the way to Oklahoma City.

I have to agree on this point. The Turner in its current two-lane form has become quite dangerous. (Looking at those burn marks all over the pavement will kind of cement that impression.) Get that thing sorted out to three-lane all the way and restrict trucks to the right two lanes like the portion between Bristow and Tulsa. It's much safer and flows much better.

[Plutonic Panda]

Hmmmmm

The agency says that money is necessary for surveys and design of a new turnpike in Cleveland County.

- https://kfor.com/news/local/state-su...ew-toll-roads/

[Plutonic Panda]

JR Article:

OKLAHOMA CITY – The state’s highest court will allow the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to sell $500 million in bonds to fund its controversial expansion plan.

With the Oklahoma Supreme Court voting 6-3 in the authority’s favor to permit the sale of up to $500 million of second senior lien revenue bonds, its $5 billion Access Oklahoma plan will move forward.

The court required the OTA’s response following a previous 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 claimed 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.

In April, engineering plans for the project were put on pause while the OTA addressed the bond validation issue.

Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz said he believes “validation” is about the financing for routes that are defined in the statute to the extent that it’s “OK to issue bonds.”

Justices Yvonne Kauger, James Winchester, James Edmondson, Noma Gurich, Richard Darby and John Reif ruled in the agency’s favor, stating that striking down the OTA’s ability to exercise statutory discretion to determine routes would “lead to additional litigation.”

Additionally, they stated that siding with the OTA stands by 30 years of precedence, “allowing the OTA the broad authority to determine routes within the locations authorized by the legislature.”

In a dissent, Justices Dustin Rowe, Dana Kuehn and Stacie Hixon stated “the majority’s decision confers upon the OTA incredibly broad discretion without any cognizable limits.”

The OTA now will resubmit an application to the five-member Council of Bond Oversight and work with the Bureau of Reclamation to change the alignment of the planned south extension, which would run north and south just west of Lake Thunderbird.

Gatz said it could be “several years” before construction on the project begins.

“As we work through the coming months, we will get about the business of beginning to create a more detailed schedule, and we’ll be able to talk much more extensively about what we believe realistic time frames are for (the project),” Gatz said.

Since the unveiling of Access Oklahoma, residents in east Norman have communicated their frustration and scrutinized the agency as the future of hundreds of properties remains uncertain. The OTA did not allow public comment at Tuesday’s meeting.

Tassie Katherine Hirschfeld, volunteer with the grassroots organization Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation and lead plaintiff in the Open Meetings Act lawsuit, said Tuesday’s ruling shows the Oklahoma Supreme Court will allow the OTA to grab “any land it wants at any time for any reason.”

Hirschfeld, an east Norman resident, said Justice Winchester has conflicts of interest that merit recusal, referring to his marriage with Susan Winchester, cabinet secretary for Gov. Kevin Stitt.

“I feel very strongly that (his recusal) was merited in the Open Meetings Act case and this case,” Hirschfeld said.

Hirschfeld said a petition for rehearing is likely and asserted that the agency’s southern extension route was not approved by the Legislature.

“The OTA argument is, in my opinion, ridiculous,” Hirschfeld said. “There should be a legislative process to approve highway routes. Otherwise, you have this autocratic agency with concentrated power, no oversight, no accountability, like we are here silent today in the meeting, because they would not let us address the board.”

A petition for rehearing must be filed within 20 days of the court’s opinion.

- https://journalrecord.com/2023/08/01...anda@gmail.com

[Jeremy Martin]

Question for all of those opposed to the turnpike expansion. The OTA's charter states that the routes need to be approved by the state legislature. In the recent supreme court case the OTA says the routes were approved in the mid 90's. I have to think that if the legislature approved them once they could amend or revoke that approval if they wanted to. Has only questioned their representative about this?

[MagzOK]

Question for all of those opposed to the turnpike expansion. The OTA's charter states that the routes need to be approved by the state legislature. In the recent supreme court case the OTA says the routes were approved in the mid 90's. I have to think that if the legislature approved them once they could amend or revoke that approval if they wanted to. Has only questioned their representative about this?

The corridors were approved. ODOT did all the studies and ended up with "Alternate Z" which is the current corridor. I think it was the late 1990s or early 2000s. There was so much backlash from the public and state reps got involved -- which ODOT answers to -- then they shelved it. Now OTA has taken over and they answer to nobody.

[jdross1982]

Hmmmmm

- https://kfor.com/news/local/state-su...ew-toll-roads/

“To be clear, we are at the very beginning stage of this long range plan. Construction in the Norman area specifically likely will be several years away from today,” explained Gatz

[cinnamonjock]

OTA still has to figure out how to avoid Bureau of Reclamation land around Lake Thunderbird. Looks like it would have to be pushed west at least a quarter mile, if not more, to avoid that wetland area, or else go around the lake to the east.

[Jeremy Martin]

My understanding is that the east side of the lake would involve tribal land and that's why they went west of the lake.
To avoid the federal lands they would have to move 1.5 miles or more west of the originally proposed route. Take that with a grain of salt though.

[jdross1982]

My understanding is that the east side of the lake would involve tribal land and that's why they went west of the lake.
To avoid the federal lands they would have to move 1.5 miles or more west of the originally proposed route. Take that with a grain of salt though.

which would help develop East Norman and Noble more instead of being further east and therefore more out of the way.

[UrbanistPoke]

I have to agree on this point. The Turner in its current two-lane form has become quite dangerous. (Looking at those burn marks all over the pavement will kind of cement that impression.) Get that thing sorted out to three-lane all the way and restrict trucks to the right two lanes like the portion between Bristow and Tulsa. It's much safer and flows much better.

I don't understand why OTA hasn't put up signs like that on the 3 lane sections already. Just the other day going into Tulsa there were 3 semi's going 60 MPH trying to pass each other for almost the entire portion between Bristow to the Sapulpa gate. Blocking every car from being able to pass or drive the actual posted speed limit.

[UrbanistPoke]

“To be clear, we are at the very beginning stage of this long range plan. Construction in the Norman area specifically likely will be several years away from today,” explained Gatz

I've heard Gatz say many times he feels like this segment is one of the most important of the new build segments because he THINKS (I don't believe it will) it will pull traffic, specifically trucks, off I-35 and reduce congestion inside OKC by providing a 'faster' option around the urban core. The only way that would make sense would be if the northern terminus wasn't at the Turner and they planned to keep going north to hook back into I-35 between northern Edmond/Guthrie. Where the chose to do the interchange with the Turner, if they did do that they would obliterate Luther in the process. But I guess when did OTA care about stuff like that, just makes it more expense though.

I bet they'll start the acquisition process for land in 2024 - he's just saying that to keep from making people even more mad. Construction docs will take a year or two I'm sure but doesn't mean they aren't almost immediately going to start working on it just because the plows don't show up to start dirt/site work tomorrow.

[Plutonic Panda]

I don't understand why OTA hasn't put up signs like that on the 3 lane sections already. Just the other day going into Tulsa there were 3 semi's going 60 MPH trying to pass each other for almost the entire portion between Bristow to the Sapulpa gate. Blocking every car from being able to pass or drive the actual posted speed limit.

The segment closer to tulsa is planned to be further expanded to include dedicated truck lanes.

[UrbanistPoke]

The segment closer to tulsa is planned to be further expanded to include dedicated truck lanes.

I mean I wouldn't put it past OTA to dream up something like that, but does not seem practical at all. Where did you hear that from? Wouldn't make much financial sense to expand and rip up a section they just finished. 3 lanes each direction is fine, they just need to ticket and enforce a 'trucks in right two lanes only' policy. They don't need a 4th lane with a trucks only lane. Then you'd have trucks in all 4 lanes blocking everyone going 60 mph trying to pass each other at the speed of 0.1 MPH each haha.