Turner Turnpike Construction To Resume Following Oklahoma Supreme Court Ruling On OTA

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Turnpike Authority's 15-year plan for several projects across the state is legal and can move forward.  

That means the Turner Turnpike here in Green Country will start seeing construction again.  

"First and foremost we are thankful to the Oklahoma Supreme Court,” OTA Executive Director Tim Gatz said.  

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is relieved after the state Supreme Court gave its $5 billion plan the green light.  

The OTA halted work on all of its ACCESS projects in April, during a legal fight that began over plans for a new turnpike in Norman which would have involved tearing down hundreds of families' homes.  

On Tuesday, OTA emphasized it does not know how many homeowners will be impacted, adding it will take months to rework engineering plans. But there are other ACCESS projects across the state. 

"Some of it will restart and move ahead faster than other phases,” Gatz said.  

Plans to widen the Turner Turnpike from Kellyville to OKC will pick back up, but OTA did not say when.  

"The growth in Oklahoma, whether you're talking about the metropolitan area of Oklahoma City, the metropolitan area of Tulsa, or in some of our major interstate corridors, is not going to slow down,” Gatz said.  

In a statement, the Vice President of the group "Pike Off OTA," which led the fight against OTA's turnpike plans in Norman, says in part,  

"These unintended consequences were unimaginable when we began this journey to protect the citizens, wildlife, land, and way of life in rural Norman. Recent Supreme Court decisions have left the people of Oklahoma with less of a voice, less property rights, and less faith in the institutions that are supposed to serve the people.” 

The Turnpike Authority says the best way to stay up to date on these projects is accessoklahoma.com. That's where construction updates, costs and plans can be found.  

Related Story: Okla. Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Bond Validation For Access Turnpike Projects