OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz presented a $5 billion, 15-year long-range plan for the Oklahoma Turnpike System on Tuesday.
ACCESS Oklahoma is a plan that will look at ongoing highway infrastructure needs for the state over the next 15 years. It is currently designed to improve access to communities and help meet future infrastructure needs.
Stitt and Gatz presented the plan to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Board of Directors about the proposed new turnpike alignments on Tuesday morning.
“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.”
Some of the features of the ACCESS Oklahoma plan include:
- Widening the Turner Turnpike to six lanes between Oklahoma City and Bristow,
- Constructing reliever routes around Oklahoma’s two largest metropolitan areas,
- Off- and on-ramps constructed on the existing turnpike system.
Many communities offered positive feedback on the future of the turnpike system following the completion of the Kickapoo Turnpike, the John Kilpatrick extension, as well as the ongoing Gilcrease Expressway project.
“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, 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. Currently, revenues from tolls, investments, and concession leases pay all costs for the turnpikes, as well as pay off the bonds issued to finance their construction.
To learn more about the plan, click here.
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