Oklahoma Turnpike Authority

[mugofbeer]

https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdo...ochure2020.pdf

See if this works and go to page 8. It's interesting reading all the way and shows how they do all their transportation funding.

I doubt the state constitution allows the dept. to indebt the state without leg. approval.

[Plutonic Panda]

Thanks for the link. I will give it a read later tonight.

[Plutonic Panda]

OTA updated their 5 yr plan into 2026. Not much in this plan but worth a post nonetheless.

https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/...tal%20Plan.pdf

[David]

Around Purcell is an interesting place to connect in, maybe redo the interchange right north of the city where Green Ave hooks in with I-35? That'll be a pretty long stretch of new highway, probably 1.5-2 times the length of the Kickapoo so far. It's definitely the missing piece that causes that turnpike make more sense.

[BoulderSooner]

Around Purcell is an interesting place to connect in, maybe redo the interchange right north of the city where Green Ave hooks in with I-35? That'll be a pretty long stretch of new highway, probably 1.5-2 times the length of the Kickapoo so far. It's definitely the missing piece that causes that turnpike make more sense.

I’m sure it will be an all new interchange

[Plutonic Panda]

Kickapoo Turnpike going cashless in a few days:

https://kfor.com/news/local/kickapoo...hless-tolling/

[jn1780]

Built those extra cash lanes just to close them off a few months later.............


Kickapoo should have been the first cashless turnpike. Its not like the technology didn't exist yet when they started construction on it.

[Swake]

Built those extra cash lanes just to close them off a few months later.............


Kickapoo should have been the first cashless turnpike. Its not like the technology didn't exist yet when they started construction on it.

The Jenks exit of the Creek Turnpike was converted to plate pay in 2017. Five years ago.

[BoulderSooner]

The Jenks exit of the Creek Turnpike was converted to plate pay in 2017. Five years ago.

that was the test exit for the OTA "platepay" system

[Swake]

that was the test exit for the OTA "platepay" system

Construction on the Kickapoo didn't even begin until 2018. So before the turnpike even went to bid OTA knew that plate pay was likely going to happen. They had years before the toll plazas were started to decide to not build them. Change orders happen all the time, and this change order would have simplified construction and saved money. It shouldn't have been hard.

[BoulderSooner]

Construction on the Kickapoo didn't even begin until 2018. So before the turnpike even went to bid OTA knew that plate pay was likely going to happen. They had years before the toll plazas were started to decide to not build them. Change orders happen all the time, and this change order would have simplified construction and saved money. It shouldn't have been hard.

o i agree with you ... but they didn't decide to roll out Plate pay system wide until after the Kickapoo was planned ..

[HangryHippo]

Built those extra cash lanes just to close them off a few months later.............


Kickapoo should have been the first cashless turnpike. Its not like the technology didn't exist yet when they started construction on it.

An absolute waste!

[Snowman]

Given how much space the main toll booth areas take up and many the pavement is in excellent condition, I wonder if they could be converted to small rest areas

[Plutonic Panda]

Given how much space the main toll booth areas take up and many the pavement is in excellent condition, I wonder if they could be converted to small rest areas

I mean that would be better than just having it with vacant but I doubt they do that. Need security and OTA probably doesn’t want that. I wish they’d reopen the rest areas between Guthrie and Edmond. Rest areas are very important.

[Plutonic Panda]

It’s officially transitioned to cashless: https://okcfox.com/news/local/kickap...cashless-tolls

[etsuco05]

A new website has launched, with more details about OTA's 15-year plan announced back in December. Lots to take in here. There are pages about plans to widen the Turner Turnpike, new interchanges throughout the system, a Kickapoo Turnpike extension and more.

http://www.accessoklahoma.com

[DowntownMan]

A new website has launched, with more details about OTA's 15-year plan announced back in December. Lots to take in here. There are pages about plans to widen the Turner Turnpike, new interchanges throughout the system, a Kickapoo Turnpike extension and more.

http://www.accessoklahoma.com

Noticed county line, council and hey 74 interchanges on the list. That’s good to hear and very much needed

[BoulderSooner]

the new east west turn pike will have a huge south side impact

[Pete]

Press release:

*************

Officials unveil first look at ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike plan Projects connect corridors, communities
Gov. Kevin Stitt and Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz presented ACCESS Oklahoma, a $5 billion, 15-year long-range plan, to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Board of Directors during its February meeting Tuesday.

ACCESS Oklahoma, which stands for Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide, is a comprehensive, long-range planning process that looks at ongoing highway infrastructure needs for the next 15 years. It is designed to improve access to communities and help meet the state’s future infrastructure needs. This is the first plan of its type by OTA, and it will complement the agency’s five-year Capital Improvement Program.

Stitt, an ex-officio member of the board, and Gatz highlighted for the board the benefits ACCESS Oklahoma will bring to the state and previewed the proposed new turnpike alignments.

“The future of our economy will depend on having a modern highway system that manages congestion and reliable travel times,” Stitt said. “ACCESS Oklahoma is a bold investment in our future that provides needed corridor connections and expansions while making travel easier and leading to more economic development across the state.”

Features of ACCESS Oklahoma include:

• Widening the Turner Turnpike to six lanes between Oklahoma City and Bristow, which will create a six-lane highway for the entirety of the turnpike between the state’s two largest metros.
• The construction of reliever routes around Oklahoma’s two largest metropolitan areas.
• Off- and on-ramps constructed on the existing turnpike system, improving traffic safety for additional rural Oklahoma communities.

Many communities have offered tremendous positive feedback on the future of the turnpike system following the completion of recent projects such as the Kickapoo Turnpike in eastern Oklahoma County and the John Kilpatrick extension in southwest Oklahoma City as well as the ongoing Gilcrease Expressway project. These communities are seeking opportunities to coordinate infrastructure planning with their ongoing economic development efforts.

“ACCESS Oklahoma is a strategic corridor plan that focuses on travel time reliability, easing congestion in our metro areas, moving freight across the state and adding access to communities that previously were not connected to turnpikes,” Gatz said. “Addressing these needs will directly impact citizens’ quality of life while enhancing the state’s infrastructure for future growth. But most importantly, each of these projects will improve highway safety for motorists.”

The board hired Poe & Associates, an Oklahoma City-based engineering consultant, during the January 2022 board meeting to provide program management services for ACCESS Oklahoma’s long-range plan projects.

ACCESS Oklahoma will be fully paid for with bonds and will not affect any part of the state budgeting process. Revenue will not be diverted from other state priorities. Revenues from tolls, investments and concession leases pay all operating and maintenance costs for the turnpikes and pay off the bonds issued to finance their construction.

To learn more about the plan, go to www.AccessOklahoma.com.

[BoulderSooner]

pete can you screen grab and post the GIS map of the OKC metro projects?

[Pete]

[BoulderSooner]

thanks pete

[Snowman]

One thing i just noticed is, in theory, when this is done you'll see less semis in the city because every route can now use a turnpike as a bypass.

The placement of the Kickapoo turnpike and the bend on the new bypass design still seem odd to me, unless they were expressly trying to keep it a bypass and limit suburban sprawl, which seems unlikely. Such a massive jog to the east makes it unlikely new housing on the east side of Norman would take it into the city, so seems likely to put more pressure on i35 when it could have relived some off it. Kickapoo in general is so far out it does not seem will have the type of population they tend to look for in the rest of their loop routes before it needs major renovation.

There is also the kink at bottom of the Kickapoo turnpike that goes the opposite way the extension will track, it looks like there is a path they could have taken without changing the rest of what was built that would move the juncture two miles closer to the North/South section in Norman, and it is pretty clear from how they built the juncture they were planning to extend it in the not too distant future.

[BG918]

What’s the timeline for the Kickapoo Extension? Took this for the first time last weekend, very nice highway but needs the extension to really see a lot of use. The Extension will be great for driving from Tulsa to Norman.

[therhett17]

Excited for all of the projects, but it’s a shame the Chickasaw Turnpike isn’t getting any upgrades. It was designed to be a 4 lane connecting Ada to I-35, but it was only built as 2 lanes with a speed limit of 65. Shameful excuse for a turnpike if you ask me.