Norman Residents Berate Engineers Over Turnpike Expansion, Fears Of Losing Property

A crowd of more than 400 Norman residents packed into CrossPointe Church Thursday night for a town hall on the planned expansion of the state highway system. 

Two routes of the ACCESS Oklahoma plan would run through Cleveland County. Norman Ward 5 councilman Rarchar Tortorello said the highways could force hundreds of property owners to sell their land to the state. 

He said last week’s announcement of the plan blindsided residents and the city council, as well.

“To us, this was a punch in the gut,” Tortorello said. “This is a terrible event happening to the citizens of Ward 5, especially those who are losing their homes.” 

Click here for more information on ACCESS Oklahoma. 

Three engineers with Poe & Associates, the firm contracted for the project, presented the plans as many in the crowd jeered and shouted opposition. 

“My property, is it worth 25 minutes of extra time?” one man shouted. 

“This is just the beginning of our hell,” one woman told the engineers during the question-and-answer period. 

No member of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority was present for the town hall. At the beginning of the event, Tortorello said that one canceled their plan to attend. 

Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the plan last week at a commission of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. The $5 billion project is expected to span 15 years and are still in the early stages of design. 

Related: Gov. Stitt & Secretary Of Transportation Present $5 Billion Turnpike Infrastructure Plan

Click here for a video of the live stream of the town hall on Tortorello’s Facebook page. 

The highways will account for expected growth in Cleveland and McClain Counties, specifically Norman and Purcell, according to the engineers. 

A spokesperson for the OTA said the agency has not yet determined how many private properties will be impacted by the construction because designs are not finalized. 

Tortorello said he sees no benefit to Norman from the new highways and hopes the plans can change to some degree. 

“There’s very limited on and off ramps and access points on this particular leg of the turnpike. So many citizens feel that there’s no economic value to having it where it’s at,” Tortorello said. 

The OTA released the below statement to News 9 and said it encourages anyone with questions or concerns to contact the agency. 

Thursday evening’s townhall meeting in Norman provided representatives from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to speak directly with citizens concerned about the impact of ACCESS Oklahoma alignments. The value of a long-range plan like ACCESS Oklahoma is that, in many circumstances, it provides OTA time to work more transparently, thoroughly and thoughtfully with affected property owners and be more mindful of engineering and environmental concerns. OTA presented the overall plan to the agency’s commissioners and the governor late last month. During the next many months, OTA will hire design engineers to refine alignments and connections shown on interactive maps presented during the meeting, which can now be found on ACCESS Oklahoma’s website. Until this refinement happens, OTA has limited detailed information to share with property owners and homeowners. As explained during the townhall meeting, OTA, in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, selected alignments and connections to existing infrastructure that are the least impactful to homeowners, business owners and the environment. OTA vows to continue the open dialogue with property owners throughout the process by hosting multiple public meetings in the upcoming months. Property owners and homeowners are encouraged to visit the ACCESS Oklahoma website (accessoklahoma.com), call 1-844-56-ACCES(S), or email info@AccessOklahoma.com for more information. OTA representatives will respond to all inquiries. The website will provide up-to-date information throughout the long-range project.