OTA To Hold Several Public Meetings On Statewide Expansion Plans

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority will hold the first of several public meetings Thursday on its statewide expansion plan, including a turnpike through Norman that's caused a lot of community pushback.

The first round of ACCESS Oklahoma meetings starts Thursday at Noble High School at 6 p.m.

In total, there will be four meetings over the next week.

They will be an opportunity for the public to view the plan and speak with engineers about the turnpike expansion designs, as well as how it could impact their homes.

ACCESS Oklahoma is the OTA's billion-dollar expansion proposal that's come under fire by Cleveland County residents, who believe it will negatively impact or even demolish many homes.

"Somehow the fancy label of ACCESS Oklahoma got tagged onto the project. I call it appropriate Oklahoma," said Norman Resident Stan Ward.

The proposed plan would have a south extension, expanding the Kickapoo Turnpike down to I-35 near Purcell.

Another part would run past Lake Thunderbird and Norman's rural 5th district.

The Norman City Council and Cleveland County Commissioners have both formally opposed the plan.

Here are rest of the meetings the OTA plans to have with the public.

One meeting is next Monday in Newcastle, followed by a Tuesday meeting in Norman and another in Moore on Thursday.

An additional meeting will be held Thursday in southeast Oklahoma City by City Councilman Todd Stone, and it will focus on how the turnpike expansion could impact residents in that area.