Free Republic

The toll booths on Oklahoma’s turnpikes are coming down, but the road isn’t free. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is adopting an all-electronic toll collection system starting this summer. Legislation to authorize collections on the new system are pending before the Oklahoma Legislature. It will mean very little change for drivers who use the PikePass system, which allows them to pay their fare while barely slowing down and at a discounted price. About 80% of Oklahoma turnpike drivers take advantage of that system. OTA cameras will will capture the license tags numbers of other drivers and bill the vehicle’s owner. That’s...

OKLAHOMA COUNTY (KFOR) – Construction will soon resume on the southern end of the Kickapoo Turnpike. The remaining portion of the turnpike’s southern end will undergo construction again during the second week of April, according to an Oklahoma Turnpike Authority news release. Crews opened the southern portion of the Kickapoo Turnpike to single lane traffic in both directions from NE 23rd Street south to Interstate 40 in January, then halted construction for the remaining winter months. “This turnpike uses a high-performance surface course of asphalt and has a strict temperature requirement in order to be put down and maximize the...

Work on the west leg of the Gilcrease Expressway continues with officials saying Monday that completion is still expected in about 18 months. Joe Echelle, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority assistant executive director of maintenance, engineering and construction, told stakeholders during a virtual meeting that the contractor was slightly ahead of schedule with concrete pouring for the new roadway scheduled to begin in February. As the concrete is poured, first between 41st and 51st Streets, the highway “won’t just look like a dirt road at this point,” Echelle said. State officials in July 2019 awarded a $259.3 million construction contract for the...

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on Tuesday will consider raising the maximum speed limits to 80 mph on rural portions of some turnpikes. The current maximum speed limit is 75 mph. Among the areas proposed for the change is a 13-mile stretch of the Turner Turnpike in Creek County, from milepost 203 to milepost 216, within the newly constructed six-lane section that extends from Sapulpa to 6 miles east of Bristow. The recent passage of House Bill 1071 set the stage for statewide studies on potential maximum speed limit increases to 80 mph on rural turnpikes and 75...

OKLAHOMA CITY - Thousands of gallons of water went pouring into the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority office Sunday. "A hundred thousand gallons of water had already spilled in the building," said Jack Damrill, communications director for the OTA. Damrill said cold temperatures caused the fire sprinkler system to burst. "It's just amazing. Water poured out of there in a short amount of time," Damrill said. The water didn't just stop on the main floor; it kept flowing through cracks and the ceiling, spilling through offices on the first floor. "We've had to relocate a couple of people to some different offices,"...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Drivers across Oklahoma can expect to pay more on some turnpikes next year. On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority voted to increase the tolls of some routes by 2.5 percent in January. Experts predict that the increase will cost drivers between 5 cents and 10 cents more on their trip. As you may remember, tolls were increased on the state’s turnpikes in March by about 12 percent. At that time, turnpike officials warned that rates would increase again in 2018 and in 2019. Officials say another 2.5 percent increase is expected in 2019.

OKLAHOMA COUNTY - Work is set to begin next week on a controversial, new turnpike that will carve a path through eastern Oklahoma County. The Eastern Oklahoma County Turnpike will connect I-40 to the Turner Turnpike, traveling roughly along Luther Road. Since the project was first announced almost two and a half years ago, it has drawn protests from many in the area who are set to lose their homes and land. “Even to this day, we don’t have a size or an actual line or layout for sure of what they even want,” said Joe Krecke. What Krecke does...

State officials have yet to find a private partner to help finance the construction of the final five miles of the Gilcrease Expressway, but they are closer to figuring out how much motorists will have to pay to use it. Tim Gatz, executive director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, said Monday that the toll is expected to be about $1 to $1.50 for private vehicles, with a higher rate for commercial vehicles. Motorists who use the plate-pay system, as can be used in Jenks, likely would pay more. “We are waiting on the traffic and revenue study to come back...

OKLAHOMA CITY--The 1600 square foot home on S.E. 15th came crashing down in a matter of minutes. It was demolished on Monday to make way for the new Eastern Oklahoma County turnpike. “It happened because they were ignorant of their rights and were victimized by the state,” said Steve Maguire. Maguire helped start Victims of Eminent Domain Fund, a non-profit dedicated to telling the stories of homeowners in that part of the county and stopping the turnpike from coming through. He says the owners of the home on S.E. 15th were told false things by the people acquiring the property...