Controversial Oklahoma turnpike route will shift westward

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on Tuesday announced it has decided to move a controversial new turnpike route about two miles to the west.

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s top priority when setting the new Norman-area turnpike route was minimizing the impact on people’s homes, said Joe Echelle, executive director.

“It was especially important to us that the new alignment avoid populated subdivisions, section line roads and dense development,” he said.

Engineers also looked closely at environmental considerations such as floodplains, municipal use plans and existing utilities, he said.

Officials have been looking for a new corridor after the original route, dubbed the South Extension Turnpike, had to be revised when the U.S. Bureau of Land Reclamation determined the corridor proposed in 2022 was not compatible with the designated federal uses on Lake Thunderbird land in Norman.

The new route will eventually connect interstates 35 and 40, which supporters say will alleviate traffic congestion on I-35.

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The new alignment starts at Indian Hills Road and runs south between 48th Street and 60th Avenue through Norman. It continues south past Oklahoma Highway 9. In the Noble area, the alignment will cross U.S. Highway 77, followed by the Canadian River, before connecting with Interstate 35 north of Purcell.

Construction is anticipated to begin in 2027, with the northern portion of the South Extension Turnpike opening in 2032. The southern portion, from Oklahoma Highway 9 to Interstate 35, is expected to open in 2034. 

The new alignment is expected to impact about 75 homes, the same number as the original plan, said Trenton January, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority chief engineer.  

“Once we get closer to the 60% design phase, we will be able to be more accurate with homeowners and property owners about exactly what properties will be needed to develop the corridor,” January said.

The number of homes needed is subject to change, said Ladan Nelson, program manager.

“The Turnpike Authority is committed to negotiating all the way to the courthouse, even after it goes to condemnation, we continue to try to negotiate a settlement,” Echelle said.

Echelle said he didn’t think any schools or businesses would be impacted.

The cost of the route will be over $1 billion, which is about the same as the original, Nelson said.

Shortly after the new route was unveiled, several area lawmakers criticized it.

Democratic state lawmakers Mary Boren, Jared Deck, Annie Menz and Jacob Rosecrants issued a joint statement.

“Today’s announcement by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority casts a renewed cloud of uncertainty and fear over yet another 25,000 acres of homes, farms, and ranches in Cleveland and McClain counties,” the Norman legislators said. “Once again, thousands of Oklahomans are being forced to live under the looming threat of displacement, and without a clear, evidence-based justification.”

The four Democrats called it a “flawed and corrupt process.”

Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, said she would work on legislation to bring more accountability and transparency to the Turnpike Authority.

“Turnpike expansion that is approved in the past and not moved upon until decades later is not acceptable,” she said, referring to prior legislative approval of the proposed turnpike. 

The new turnpike is part of a 15-year pike improvement and expansion plan, dubbed ACCESS, which originally carried a price tag of $5 billion. The new cost is $8.2 billion due to inflation, officials said.

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