Commissioner’s Resolution To Support Okla. Turnpike Authority Met With Opposition

Oklahoma County commissioners took up a resolution to support Access Oklahoma, a program to update the state’s turnpike system.

The agenda item was met with opposition from several people who live in Cleveland County.

“I see people, neighbors with homes, houses that are going to be destroyed,” said one woman during a public comment period.

Several volunteers with Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation spoke out at the Oklahoma County Commission meeting on Tuesday, in response to a resolution to declare support for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s ACCESS program.

“I feel like I need to let the county commissioners know what I’ve learned over the past two years which is you should not trust them,” said Tassie Hirschfeld. 

Hirschfeld says a planned turnpike expansion in Cleveland County will run right next to her property.

“One of the biggest indicators of fraud is building things no one wants, no one in Norman wants these turnpikes,” she said.

Including Randy Carter. “My living room will be the median of the turnpike on the southern extension,” Carter said. 

The group not only opposes the turnpike expansion in Cleveland County but OTA itself and its handling of finances and lack of communication and transparency.

“Just like everyone else, I found out about this the day they announced it and drew a big orange line right next to my property,” Hirschfeld said.

However, Commissioner Myles Davidson says the resolution supports projects only in Oklahoma County.

“This will actually give Oklahoma County three lanes and additional exits at County Line, western side to increase access there and one or two in the Arcadia area,” Davidson said.

The District 3 Commissioner also hopes to join Paycom to request a Texas roundabout near the company’s headquarters in Oklahoma City.

“This will allow that traffic to continuously flow, increasing safety and cutting down on all that traffic,” Davidson said.

The resolution was stricken but Davidson hopes to introduce it again later. OTA just broke ground on widening the Turner Turnpike to six lanes from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. Click here for more information on OTA’s planned projects: https://www.accessoklahoma.com/

For more information on Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation, click here: https://pikeoffota.com/