Kevin Stitt and Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz announced their ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike plan on Tuesday - a 15-year, $5 billion long-range vision for. Contact him at slackmeyer@oklahoman.com. Welcome to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Financial Reporting TOLL CALCULATOR TRAFFIC & Road Conditions ACCESS OKLAHOMA DRIVE OKLAHOMA pikepass Navigate Oklahoma A podcast about Oklahoma's largest asset. Chiding the current practices of public engagement as theater, Marohn admits, unfortunately, when it comes to highway expansions [the decision makers] are not interested in dialogue or to discern what the best approach will be. By WAYNE PARRY, AP. What she says might be the case and often is the case in circumstances where you have very similar domain names and you want to prevent someone who wants to sow chaos and make someone think they are you. He said new access points are needed in the interest of development and safety for people who are traveling. Direct loan: up to $120.6 million. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Payment: $1,739/mo . He said when he was first elected four years ago, constituents started asking what can be done to add interchanges to the turnpike, so hes been pursuing them for several years. This is addressing what will become a problem if inaction is taken.. Related: New Routes For Turnpikes Could Be Up For Final . We work with government agencies to provide you with accurate information. Those impacted assert that it was on this day, a day during which budgets and contracts were already approved, that the public was for the first time adequately informed of the irreversible impact ACCESS Oklahoma would have on their lives. Est. The current Kickapoo Turnpike is the northeast corridor of that project. State officials said during a news conference Tuesday that the plan, which is called Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide (ACCESS), identifies and addresses ongoing. The OTAs fourth quarter financial report for 2021 showed payments of interest expense on revenue bonds outstanding totaling nearly $70 million year-to-date. Officials say outer highway loops would allow for alternate routes connecting south OKC, Moore and Norman areas with the north OKC, Edmond and Tulsa areas. Steve Lackmeyerstarted at The Oklahoman in 1990. More:Lawsuit says Oklahoma turnpike expansion plan does not comply with state statutes. Nearby homes similar to 3009 Raintree Rd have recently sold between $325K to $325K at an average of $95 per square foot. There were no public discussions or previous press releases about the impact of these projects. The govt wants us to pay them on multiple levels just to live our lives. In September, he had an interim study where local and tribal leaders pressured transportation officials to modernize rural turnpikes. On February 22, 2022 the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) unveiled a new $5 billion turnpike expansion plan titled ACCESS Oklahoma. The city was named in honor of Abner Norman, the area's initial land surveyor, and was formally incorporated on May 13, 1891. Absolute shock and horror, is how Norman resident Darla LeBlanc described her reaction upon learning of the news in a segment for KOCO News 5. Kevin Stitt appointed Tim Gatz, executive director of the OTA since 2016, to also be director of ODOT. ODOT spokesperson James Poling elaborated on the concerning traffic numbers. In no form or fashion hasOTAever attempted to silence those opposed to turnpikes. Lawsuit says Oklahoma turnpike expansion plan does not comply with state statutes, OTA spending millions on early turnpike expansion work as landowners start getting letters, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Plan Please refer to the listed links below for information regarding the announcement and map of the proposed construction from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. In the 1954, however, Oklahoma voters passed a measure that allowed for revenues from one turnpike to pay for construction of new turnpikes around the state, requiring more bonds to be issued and more interest to be paid to investors, effectively trapping the turnpike system in a cycle where the roads never become free to use. We will widen the Turner to six lanes the entire way, well expand the Will Rogers in Northeast Oklahoma and parts of the Kilpatrick in Oklahoma City, explained Stitt. Im calling to invest $13 billion in transportation over the next 10 years.. (accessoklahoma.com) Calling into question the stated motivations behind this multi-billion dollar turnpike expansion is a . While state officials are excited to improve safety, travel times and economic development with high-speed toll road improvements, vocal opposition remains to turnpike expansion and even the existence of the OTA. They now have a timeline. On December 7, 2021, Tim Gatz, who holds both the titles of secretary of transportation and executive director of the OTA, teased a project that would become the blueprint for the future of OTA projects and the continued economic growth and development of the state. The accompanying press release offered little beyond an air of excitement, explicit support from Governor Kevin Stitt, and a commitment to transparency throughout a project whose scope was seemingly still being worked out. Her unconventional background includes directing a Ukrainian folk choir, pioneering synaesthetic performances, photographing festivals, designing websites, teaching, and ghostwriting. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Thursday afternoon submitted a map without any changes based on weeks of feedback. OKC and surrounding area are still not too big and wonderful land to live on. Long-time residents, such as lawyer Stan Ward, learned their house was directly in the path of the proposed turnpike not through any personal notification courtesy of the OTA or ODOT, but through a local newspaper that had published the proposed route the following day. Those corporations will then develop the land and make billions. A connector from the existing alignment would travel south and east going across airport property to a section of I-44 near Earlywine Golf Course. Dr. Amy Cerato, a geotechnical engineer and professor of civil engineering, speaking to the Oklahoma Transportation Authority Board of Directors on March 29, 2022 about the ecological, economical, geographical, and humanitarian issues of the proposed turnpikes. Supporting Documents Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is unveiling its plans for a new turnpike in Northeastern Oklahoma County. It also effectively makes Gatz the gatekeeper of all transportation policy across the state. Those environments and properties and such are at the heart of the issue for the hundreds of homeowners who potentially stand to either lose their homes or have their surrounding environment dramatically changed. When they road is built, they will brag about keeping tolls down by selling off the unused land for a profit. What they wont say is that it was only a 1-2% profit. The constructed Project will comprise a five-mile, four-lane divided tolled highway and includes 22 bridges (two of which span the Arkansas River, one in each direction) and four major interchanges (at W 51st St, W 41st St, W 21st and US-412). Please check back often for updates. The emails emerged from an open records request by Richard Labarthe. These exquisite natural wonders are found only one place on Earth, she explained, in a thin band between Lake Stanley Draper and Noble.. Chance of rain 80%.. 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The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority has become too powerful and detached from accountability. He is an award-winningreporter, columnist and author who covers downtown Oklahoma City,urban development and economics for The Oklahoman. The project, according to OTA press materials, is a $5 billion, 15-year long-range plan [which] identifies and addresses on-going highway infrastructure needs to improve access to communities across the Oklahoma turnpike network. Named ACCESS Oklahoma, the plan involves widening four existing turnpikes, installing several new alignments, and constructing new access points for those alignments. In fact, she notes that, the way to make a place vibrant and wealthy is to create a place for people to go, to walk to, to get out of their cars, not an 80 mph turnpike that takes people past your town and into another city., Shes likewise skeptical of the justifications OTA and ODOT have provided for the expansion, pointing out that nearly all of them have been debunked. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Strong Towns is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. toll roads were designed to be paid off and then free travel but now they are just money roads. Asia (pronounced ah-sha) Mieleszko serves as a Staff Writer for Strong Towns. It. Period. Family in limbo due to Oklahoma turnpike expansion plans - YouTube 0:00 / 1:58 Family in limbo due to Oklahoma turnpike expansion plans 2,666 views Mar 4, 2022 30 Dislike Share Save. Map & Directions . By: News 9. Financial ratings giant Fitch Ratings gives the investment viability of OTA bonds a AA- mark. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announced this week a $5 billion eventual bond project to finance a 15-year expansion of the toll roads in the state. Information will be updated as it is released from the State of Oklahoma. According to state turnpike officials, the vote Monday ratifies the argument that the turnpike is necessary. Oklahoma unveils $5 billion plan for turnpikes: Plan includes widening Will Rogers Turnpike, BY JANELLE STECKLEIN Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. You are destroying the land that we love. Bailey Turnpike 1.5 Indian Nation Turnpike 1.6 John Kilpatrick Turnpike 1.7 Muskogee Turnpike 1.8 Turner Turnpike 1.9 Creek Turnpike On February 22, 2022 the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) unveiled a new $5 billion turnpike expansion plan titled ACCESS Oklahoma . These peoples lives will be turned upside down to slightly improve commute times, Inger Giuffrida, executive director of WildCare, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in Noble, said at the Capitol on March 23. The protest, which included some legislators, came about a month after the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announced a long-term plan for the states turnpike development, dubbed the Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide, or ACCESS Oklahoma, plan. Welcome to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. Six of the domain addresses include references to the ACCESS Oklahoma brand, which wasnt released to the public until a roll-out of the proposal by Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz and Gov. A 29-mile, $981 million new turnpike in east Norman near Lake Thunderbird State Park that will . Make no mistake, while were here to speak for wildlife and their habitats, we are equally concerned about the impacts of this project characterized as having minimal human impact. That is false, Giuffrida said People will have their homes needlessly destroyed, become displaced, and/or lose investments in homes and properties, euphemistically referred to by the OTA and the engineering firm they have contracted to manage this project as rooftops.. Turnpikes The Gilcrease Expresswayis a 10.5-mile-long (16.9 km) highwayin Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. Grego said hes concerned that officials plan to focus on the traffic needs of Oklahoma City and Tulsa first before working their way down to the Indian Nations Turnpike. With even legislators coming up short on ideas of how to prevent the turnpike construction, opponents of ACCESS Oklahoma are pursuing other avenues. 0.1 acres $120,000. Select an exit, travel plaza, toll plaza or other location from the map, or use the location list to get information and a close-up map of that location, plus any nearby gas stations. The turnpikes themselves might not be making money, but there are significant profits available to those who invest in OTA bonds. That evidence included an email exchange between an ODOT email address and Jones PR, a public relations contractor for the agency, dated as early as February 7, weeks before the announcement. So yes I am oppose of toll roads. My family is just stuck in this nightmare limbo for the unforeseen future where OTA has removed any power or choice or autonomy on decisions for what we wanted to do for our own lives." A dilettante urbanist since adolescence, she's excited to convert a lifetime of ad-hoc volunteerism into a career. Continuing the modern transportation practices started with the eastern Oklahoma County project, the expansion will include more interchanges than traditional turnpikes, providing greater access to local communities. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS So if we can do something with turnpikes to take that traffic off, we need to., Of course they claim safety, she said. The action comes as the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority wraps up the $1.3 billion Driving Forward, a turnpike expansion and improvement project that began under former Gov. Not to mention, she adds, nobody is safe, referring to other communities in the periphery of this plan and future highway expansion projects who reside on authorized land. The ACCESS Oklahoma South Extension turnpike is a proposed 19 mile stretch of new construction. In the resulting summary judgment, Olsen ruled that the OTA willfully violated the states Open Meetings Act, a decision supported by troubling evidence that emerged throughout the legal process. The turnpike, named ACCESS Oklahoma, is a $15 million project that aims to provide alternative options to drivers. Emails between turnpike authority spokeswoman Jessica Brown and Carolyn Taylor with Jones PR reveal Taylors firm compiled a list of potential domains that might have been used to oppose the $5 billion ACCESS Oklahoma plan that is tied up in litigation filed by homeowners fighting to keep their properties. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, which pledged to be transparent in its implementation of a proposed $5 billion expansion plan, quietly bought 23 internet domains two weeks before presenting the plan to the public. What kind of financial challenges can our cities and towns expect to face in the new year? Its pretty well set, said Jessica Brown, strategic communications director of what is known as the Oklahoma Transportation Cabinet, a catch-all position that puts Brown in charge of communications for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission. However, when we want to see an audit of how much money theyre making and where it all goes, theyre all We are not a state agency. PIKE OFF OTA, Inc., is a grassroots 501 (c )(4) organization, we do not endorse nor support political candidates with monetary or in-kind contributions. 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