OTA plans new turnpike east to I-35
Travel and drive times are about to get a boost in the Newcastle area with the announcement of several Oklahoma Turnpike Authority projects. A long-range plan created by the OTA includes three turnpike extensions, or connectors, which impact Newcastle.
An connector is planned off the H.E. Bailey Turnpike near State Highway 37 at Newcastle which will extend eastward to U.S. Interstate 35. A second turnpike project ties the John Kilpatrick Turnpike to U.S. Interstate 44 and the Tri-City area, and a third turnpike project on the east side of the Metro is a south extension of the Kickapoo Turnpike tying in to I-35 just north of Purcell. Although specific timelines are not being announced, OTA plans to be very aggressive, said Newcastle Mayor Karl Nail.
“This is something that has been talked about — a connection between Newcastle and Norman. It will be transformational for the City of Newcastle, cutting down travel time by more than half,” Nail said. “It will allow Newcastle residents to get on the turnpike and travel all the way to Tulsa when it is completed.”
Nail said the City of Newcastle is excited to partner with OTA and ODOT and it is the City’s intention to do everything it can to make the impact of the construction of these projects as easy on residents as possible.
The projects, as well as all of the projects in the OTA’s ACCESS Oklahoma plan, were announced in an OTA meeting Tuesday. Governor Kevin Stitt was in attendance to help make the announcement of the ongoing 15-year long-range plan, which will be similar in the way ODOT utilizes its Eight-year Construction Work Plan.
The OTA plan calls for projects across the state. They are outlined on a new website created by OTA at accessoklahoma.com. ACCESS is an acronym for Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide. OTA Director Tim Gatz said residents or landowners who feel they may be impacted by these projects can go online to look at the maps provided at accessoklahoma.com. They can click on “property acquisition” to see how the process goes.
Mayor Nail said the City plans to bring OTA representatives in the community for a public meeting to talk with Newcastle residents.
“They want to come to the community and give a presentation and be as transparent as possible,” Nail said. “We know this is likely to bring growth to the city and we have been working hard to accommodate that growth with a new wastewater facilty, water improvements and our ongoing roads program.”
During the meeting OTA Deputy Director Joe Echelle explained the routes.
East-to-West
Connector
Echelle said the east-to-west connector between Newcastle and I-35 has been a project OTA has been working on with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. He said the project will help mitigate heavy traffic on I-35 and on I-44, and will provide a new crossing on the South Canadian River from Newcastle to I-35. Nail said the OTA told him these projects are divided into phases one through five; however, the OTA plans to have several of these under construction at the same time.
Nail said Echelle told him this project is in phase one, and OTA hopes to have it open and people driving on it no later than five years from now.
Kickapoo Extension
to Purcell
Echelle said OTA has been working with ODOT on the mitigation of traffic south of Oklahoma City on I-35 and on I-44 south of Oklahoma City. He said the south end of the Kickapoo Turnpike would continue on a new alignment south for a few miles and then west and south — down around the west side of Lake Thunderbird — connecting to a point on I-35 north of Purcell, providing an alternative for thru-put traffic that is trying to get from the south side of Oklahoma City up north and east towards Tulsa.
Echelle said this connector will provide an alternative route when congestion impacts traffic dramatically south of Oklahoma City. Nail said Echelle told him this was in a later phase of the turnpike plan, but they hope to construct as quickly as possible and open these phases as soon as they can.
John Kilpatrick
extension to I-44
Echelle said the John Kilpatrick Turnpike has the fastest growing traffic in the turnpike system, growing at a rate of 6-8% each year. 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. Nail said this project is in phase three but could go along with work in phase two projects.
Next step for OTA
Long Range Plan
These projects and more across the state — part of the OTA’s $15 billion long range turnpike plan — are to be constructed with cashless tolling. There have note been any surveys done on the routes so exact alignments are not known at this time. Governor Stitt said there has been an explosion of property growth along the newest of the turnpikes the state has built.
OTA states that the next steps will be formulated throughout 2022 by hiring consultants who can work on details, which will be made public as they become available. The consultants and additional professional services will vet details and start conceptual design plans for the comprehensive long-range plan.
Their role will be to assist OTA with traffic modeling, financial planning, engineering, and working with community partners.
OTA further states that tolls will be adjusted over time, but the goal is to keep adjustments to a minimum as far into the future as possible. They added that out-of-state traffic pays about 40% of Oklahoma tolls.
Governor Stitt said ACCESS Oklahoma is a bold plan to make investments for the future, to help manage congestion and have reliable commute times.
He said the plan will provide a quality of life for Oklahomans by connecting existing turnpikes and communities, and constructing reliever routes for the state’s most congested parts of highways.