The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) is undertaking a six-project, $892-million program aimed at addressing congestion and access issues across metropolitan Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Among the priorities of the bond-funded program, known as “Driving Forward,” is the reconstruction of a 22-mile segment of Interstate 44-Turner Turnpike, the state’s oldest tollway and a key connector between Oklahoma’s two largest cities. To update the 62-year-old, four-lane segment route to accommodate urban traffic loads, the $300-million project will add a new travel lane in each direction. Further, it will provide infrastructure for future lanes dedicated to heavy trucks, which account for 15% of the highway’s current traffic load.