Kilpatrick Turnpike to be widened

[Jim Kyle]

The reason for continual construction is simple: the legislation that authorized turnpikes in the first place, dating from the late 1940s and Gov. Roy Turner, provided that tolls would be collected only until the roads were paid off, and they would then become free.

By continually creating new construction, the OTA can prevent the roads from ever being paid off and therefore can continue to collect tolls.

The law of unintended consequences strikes again!!! (Or could it have been intentional all along?)

[CaptDave]

The reason for continual construction is simple: the legislation that authorized turnpikes in the first place, dating from the late 1940s and Gov. Roy Turner, provided that tolls would be collected only until the roads were paid off, and they would then become free.

By continually creating new construction, the OTA can prevent the roads from ever being paid off and therefore can continue to collect tolls.

The law of unintended consequences strikes again!!! (Or could it have been intentional all along?)

Also of interest would be who holds/controls the bonds - my memory is not 100% accurate, but if I remember correctly, a very small number of people are profiting from perpetual construction on the turnpikes keeping tolls in place.

BUT - with that said, I honestly do not object to tolls/use taxes. It is more fair for those who actually use the road to pay for it than someone who will never use it. I find it odd that a large portion of OK citizens scream bloody murder about taxes in general, but hardly make a sound about toll roads that are not even under the purview of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

I may not have the OTA/ODOT relationship right. I would be interested in learning more if someone with knowledge of how the OTA is structured would chime in....

[bluedogok]

Get used to it, toll roads are going to become the norm as roads become more expensive to build and funding is always going to be lacking.

As far as the roads "going private" as Uncle Pete asked, that may have to do with some of the road building deals that Texas has used with Cintra/Zachry. I think most of those were 50 year contracts for Cintra/Zachry to build and operate but at the end of the 50 year contracts the roads revert back to the State of Texas. I don't think the OTA has ever entertained such proposals, doesn't mean they might not in the future but I think most states that have done such deals have the language in the contracts that the roads go back to the states after contract fulfillment.

[Richard at Remax]

If it keeps the road upkept and surrounding areas clean then I am all for toll roads

[HangryHippo]

If it keeps the road upkept and surrounding areas clean then I am all for toll roads

I agree. Speaking of, why is the turnpike to Tulsa not better than it is (ala I-35 through Kansas)?

[OKCisOK4me]

Uhh...because that's a totally different state...

[Jon27]

Anyone know what they are doing in between I-40 & NW 39th on the Kilpatrick? It looks like they are adding an asphalt strip to make the shoulders wider. There has to be more to it than that.

[HangryHippo]

I'm pretty sure they're adding the cable barrier to prevent crossover accidents. I think they're taking the barrier that they had just put in on the north side up by Mercy and reusing it here because they had to tear it out when they decided to widen the turnpike.

[LakeEffect]

I'm pretty sure they're adding the cable barrier to prevent crossover accidents. I think they're taking the barrier that they had just put in on the north side up by Mercy and reusing it here because they had to tear it out when they decided to widen the turnpike.

I had a similar recollection.

[mburlison]

Yeah, think about the Turner Turnpike. My dad told me that that thing was suppose to be free years ago. Not the case. They fund their own construction. No worries about federal funds coming in. Why would they want to sell off their jobs?

Sure - let's just get rid of all the Toll Roads and let the taxes go up that are necessary to build the roads we need ! Cool ! Does anyone "seriously" think they drive on "Free Roads" ever?

[OKCisOK4me]

I wasn't implying that but more power to ya.

[Dubya61]

I honestly do not object to tolls/use taxes. It is more fair for those who actually use the road to pay for it than someone who will never use it. I find it odd that a large portion of OK citizens scream bloody murder about taxes in general, but hardly make a sound about toll roads that are not even under the purview of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

I certainly don't object to the tolls / use taxes, either. I just think it should be lowered on days that there's construction going on.

[BoulderSooner]

Yeah, think about the Turner Turnpike. My dad told me that that thing was suppose to be free years ago. Not the case. They fund their own construction. No worries about federal funds coming in. Why would they want to sell off their jobs?

we as a state voted a long time ago to combine the turner with all the toll roads in the system ..

[BoulderSooner]

The reason for continual construction is simple: the legislation that authorized turnpikes in the first place, dating from the late 1940s and Gov. Roy Turner, provided that tolls would be collected only until the roads were paid off, and they would then become free.

By continually creating new construction, the OTA can prevent the roads from ever being paid off and therefore can continue to collect tolls.

The law of unintended consequences strikes again!!! (Or could it have been intentional all along?)

that was only for the turner it was to become free after it was "paid for" .... but we voted as a state to not do that and combine the turner with the rest of the system

[Jim Kyle]

The Turner was the very first, begun in 1948 I believe and completed in 1953, and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority was created at that time to build and maintain it. The "free when paid off" rule applied to all highways operated by the authority, but at that time the Turner was the only one. When it turned out to be quite popular, the OTA was permitted to build more, and so far as I can determine, the "free when paid off" rule still applies to the OTA, not to the individual pikes. It's really irrelevant, since OTA and the legislature have made it quite plain that they will never be fully paid off. Less than half the income goes to servicing the debt.

[okcfollower]

They will be shutting down the ramp from kilpatrick westbound to Hefner southbound for 90 days as they dismantle and rebuild the support beam.

[jn1780]

They will be shutting down the ramp from kilpatrick westbound to Hefner southbound for 90 days as they dismantle and rebuild the support beam.

Noticed the new pier going up the other day. Wow, thats a really expensive fix because the original contractor didn't do that pier the right way to allow for enough clearance.

[HangryHippo]

Noticed the new pier going up the other day. Wow, thats a really expensive fix because the original contractor didn't do that pier the right way to allow for enough clearance.

I don't get this. If they're having to redo the support beam, why not take the team to move the whole ramp right there further west?

[ChaseDweller]

Instead of widening this thing, they should first have built the NB to WB flyover at LHP and the SB to EB flyover/cloverleaf at 235. These two are sorely needed, especially the one at LHP.

[OKCisOK4me]

235 interchange is ODOT. This project is OTA. Two totally different entities.

[okcfollower]

235 interchange is ODOT. This project is OTA. Two totally different entities.

He is referring to kilpatrick and broadway extension I believe... Like south broadway to east kilpatrick.

[Snowman]

He is referring to kilpatrick and broadway extension I believe... Like south broadway to east kilpatrick.

Edmond is officially ignoring Tulsa exists.

[OKCTalker]

$54.8 million for this!? Wow!!!

Who pays? It goes from OTA's Kilpatrick to ODOT's LHP.

[Snowman]

It seems like they should have just accepting that three lanes under the flyover would have been a pain and given the flyovers a dedicated lane like what happens at most interstate junctures. Plus it might have helped eliminate people mistakenly getting off on Portland or starting to and quickly swerving back on the road.

[Buffalo Bill]

$54.8 million for this!? Wow!!!

Who pays? It goes from ota's kilpatrick to odot's lhp.

ota.