Norman residents raise concerns about OTA with Oklahoma County Commissioners

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahoma County Commissioners wanted to support the Access Oklahoma Plan, which calls for toll road expansion across the state, although they only focused on the affected areas in their counties. Norman residents came to the meeting to voice their concerns.

“Remember that the Turnpike Authority has a history of not being transparent with the public and with cities, counties and municipalities,” Kelly Wilson said.

On Tuesday, Oklahoma County Commissioners planned to pass a resolution supporting the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s plans for Oklahoma County.

“It literally means, ‘Yeah, this is great,'” said Myles Davidson, Oklahoma County Commissioner for District 3.

Commissioner Davidson said this involves widening the Turner Turnpike to three lanes in the area, a project that is already underway.

“Then there will be a couple of additional exits built, one at the county line on the west side to improve access there,” Davidson said. “Then there will be one or two more in the Arcadia area.”

Also attending the meeting were Norman residents affected by the proposed turnpike extensions that run through Cleveland County. One extension connects Newcastle to Norman, while another connects the Kickapoo Turnpike to Purcell.

“My living room will be the median of the toll road on the southern extension,” said Randy Carter, who opposes the extension.

“I felt like I needed to let the commissioners know what I’ve learned over the last two years, which is that they shouldn’t be trusted,” said OU professor Tassie Hirschfeld.

At the public hearing, the opposition referred to lawsuits and investigations, in particular the Attorney General’s demand to audit the OTA.

“I think it would be a mistake to join this group until everything is completed and everyone knows what comes out of these investigations,” Carter told the commissioners.

“I did not support the section of the highway in Cleveland County. I would never go to another county,” said Commissioner Davidson. “I know they had a lot of opposition down there. They had a lot of opposition and they slowed down the construction and the highway.”

Ultimately, Davidson rejected the request only because he wants to add Texas Turnarounds to the Access Oklahoma Plan in Oklahoma County, specifically along the Kilpatrick Turnpike near Paycom in far northwest Oklahoma.

“There is a lot of traffic,” Davidson said.