Norman committee hears Access Oklahoma turnpike update as resident warns of property losses

The Norman Transportation Committee received an update June 25 on Access Oklahoma turnpike work and right‑of‑way timelines, and heard a public comment urging the city to limit interchanges that would take farmland and family property.

City Engineer Tim Miles said work on the Toby Keith Expressway between I‑44 and I‑35 is progressing on design, utility relocations and bridge construction. Miles said the design for the connection between I‑44 and the Toby Keith Expressway is complete and that the bid for that package was scheduled in June; if the contract follows a typical schedule, construction could begin about 90 days after award, likely in October if awarded in the summer months. "They're progressing the design in this area," Miles said, and staff expect OTAA to provide more detailed right‑of‑way updates at the August meeting.

Miles outlined several upcoming packages: bridges at 60th Avenue and 48th Avenue NW; separate grading and surfacing contracts required by OTAA; coordination with the city's 36th Avenue/38th Avenue NW work; and a larger east–west phase one package planned for a January bid. For the south extension, Miles told the committee survey crews are completing field work, the consultants are advancing plans toward 60 percent design, and staff expect OTAA will identify property acquisitions "by no later than March of 2027." He also said utility relocations — notably an effluent line in conflict with the proposed alignment — remain a key task.

The committee discussed candidate interchanges on north–south alignments, including Highway 9, Lindsay, Alamita and Robinson/Tecumpsy. Miles said OTAA has recommended locations and that fewer interchanges is the city's preference: "What we said was fewer is better than more. If you put one at Lindsay, don't put one at Alamita," he told council.

A resident who spoke during the discussion urged the city to resist additional on‑ and off‑ramps between Indian Hills and Highway 9, saying interchanges would take farmland and family property and could affect lake water quality. The speaker said the turnpike authority had filed a recent lawsuit and vowed to oppose interchange siting: "They're wanting to put an on‑ramp... I will fight that all the way to the end," the resident said.

Staff responded that the right‑of‑way maps posted by OTAA show the parcels currently under consideration and that interchange siting, in staff's account, did not change the total number of homes the authority had already identified in its right‑of‑way footprint. Miles also explained OTAA's safety reasoning for some interchanges: extremely long stretches without a legal turnaround can lead motorists to attempt dangerous U‑turns on high‑speed facilities, and adding interchanges can reduce that risk.

The committee also discussed coordination with neighboring Noble, which has requested interchanges and frontage roads in areas where jurisdictional corners meet. Miles said the city is exploring a BNSF‑directed grant opportunity to study a grade‑separated railroad crossing at Tecumpsy, which could include design funding and potentially support a commuter‑rail stop north of Tecumpsy.

Council members pressed staff on the potential cost of local widening that could be induced by new interchanges. Staff used recent local project costs as a reference, noting that widening projects have been in the order of more than $10 million per mile on comparable corridors and that funding and responsibility for any future widening remain open questions.

Miles pointed council to OTAA's interactive map (accessoc.com) for the most up‑to‑date right‑of‑way postings. Staff said they will bring more detail on east–west right‑of‑way and acquisitions at the August meeting and will engage council directly with OTAA before key bid and award milestones.

What's next: staff expect OTAA to finalize materials for bidding in late summer; the committee will revisit right‑of‑way and acquisition updates in August and may hold a study session in July to discuss imminent domain/right‑of‑way status.