Oklahoma City Council supports turnpike expansion plans
January 5, 2016
OKLAHOMA CITY – City Council declared Tuesday its unanimous support for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and a possible partnership in the agency’s plan to expand turnpikes in Oklahoma City.
Gov. Mary Fallin, Secretary of Transportation Gary Ridley and officials at the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority in October announced commitments to the Driving Forward program, $892 million in improvements to the state’s turnpike system.
The plan includes possible improvements in southwest Oklahoma City by extending the John Kilpatrick Turnpike from Interstate 40 to State Highway 152 in Canadian and Oklahoma counties. It also includes a possible new turnpike in eastern Oklahoma County where from I-40 to I-44.
Assistant City Manager Laura Johnson said those infrastructure improvements are consistent with the city’s own development plans. Major traffic corridor extensions on either side of the city would have significant economic potential, she said.
