ACCESS Oklahoma construction to start with widening, new interchange along Turner Turnpike

Steve Lackmeyer, The Oklahoman
·2 min read
The six-mile widening of the Turner Turnpike will include a new full intersection at State Highway 66 in Heyburn.
The six-mile widening of the Turner Turnpike will include a new full intersection at State Highway 66 in Heyburn.

The first ACCESS Oklahoma construction project is set to start in 2024 with widening of a six-mile stretch of the Turner Turnpike and a new intersection at State Highway 66 in Heyburn.

The first bond funding for ACCESS Oklahoma, totaling $500 million, was sold in October after months of delays and legal challenges by residents whose homes are threatened by plans to build new toll roads in Norman and nearby communities.

I-44_widening_map
I-44_widening_map

The Turner Turnpike, the state’s oldest toll road, was previously widened to six lanes between Tulsa and Heyburn as part of the last funding program, Moving Forward. The $5 billion ACCESS Oklahoma plan includes funding to widen the remainder of the Turner Turnpike to Oklahoma City.

ACCESS Oklahoma also includes 14 new access points, like the one to be built in Heyburn, along the Turner, Indian Nation, H.E. Bailey, Kilpatrick and Cimarron turnpikes as part of Access Oklahoma. 

The first construction bid awarded through ACCESS Oklahoma includes creating a full interchange at State Highway 66 over the Turner Turnpike, shown in this photo.
The first construction bid awarded through ACCESS Oklahoma includes creating a full interchange at State Highway 66 over the Turner Turnpike, shown in this photo.

The turnpike authority commission approved a $98.5 million to Duit Construction for the widening between Bristow and the new interchange in Heyburn.

The current average daily traffic on the Turner Turnpike is 37,860. The turnpike authority forecasts average daily traffic on the stretch being widened will jump to 63,260 by 2041. The widening and new interchange work is expected to take about two years.

Transportation Secretary Tim Gatz said the contract award on Tuesday is a “red letter day” for the turnpike authority.

“It's extremely exciting to get that section to Bristow widened,” Gatz said. “A new access point will be a big development for this region.”

The turnpike authority faced an array of lawsuits challenging ACCESS Oklahoma, most of which were dismissed when the Oklahoma Supreme Court validated bond sales.

At the heart of the contested toll roads is an effort by the turnpike authority to create a “reliever” toll road to address traffic jams along southbound Interstate 35 between Oklahoma City and Norman.

The Oklahoman, however, found engineers used traffic projections that excluded the impact of rebuilt junctions along I-35 at Interstate 240 and Indian Hills Road. Hundreds of residents face forced displacement to make way for the toll roads. 

Opponents unsuccessfully argued that much of a new south extension turnpike that would connect to I-35 in Purcell was not among 35 corridors approved by lawmakers in 1987.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court also overturned a district court ruling that the turnpike authority “willfully” violated the state’s Open Meetings Act when it first introduced ACCESS Oklahoma.

An investigative audit of the turnpike authority requested by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond continues.

A planned expansion of the turnpike system in Oklahoma included expanding the Turner Turnpike (Interstate 44) to six lanes all the way from Oklahoma City to Tulsa. An expansion to six lanes, pictured here, was completed in the past few years.
A planned expansion of the turnpike system in Oklahoma included expanding the Turner Turnpike (Interstate 44) to six lanes all the way from Oklahoma City to Tulsa. An expansion to six lanes, pictured here, was completed in the past few years.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: ACCESS Oklahoma work to start with Turner Turnpike widening in 2024