Turnpike Authority Makes Major Progress on Roadways

With the temperatures coming up, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said they’ll be able to make some major progress on the roadways.

The Turnpike Authority said it’s finally warm enough for them to use salt on the roadways to get a lot of the snow pack off the asphalt, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be cautious while driving.

OTA Officials said they’ve had employees working around the clock and some of their employees will end up clocking 300 hours by the time this weather event is over.       

They said each turnpike has its own crew, so they’re actively plowing all 11 turnpikes across the state at the same time.

“We do have crews right now on every turnpike actively plowing,” said Damrill. “They’re going as quick as they can; so, again, we’ve got plenty of crews and we’ll work through the weekend if we have to.”         

The Turnpike Authority said the sun and warmer temperatures are actually helping them move faster.          

They’ll finally be able to lay salt on the roadways to start melting the snow, but they said you really have to watch out for black ice on the roadways as the temperatures drop overnight.

“Just because we’ll be able to get a lot of this off the road today doesn’t mean that we will stop working today and throughout the rest of the weekend,” said OTA Communications Director, Jack Damrill. “We’ll be out there until the temperatures get above freezing for a longer period of time.”       

Damrill said people still need to be cautious with the snow plows as they’re out on the roadway.        

They said don’t try to pass them; just be patient so you can get to where you’re going safely.