The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority board passed resolutions at Thursday’s special meeting aimed at addressing issues within pending ACCESS Oklahoma litigation to bring certainty and clarity to all parties.
Among the resolutions passed:
- Authorizing the termination of a $200 million line of credit, which the Council of Bond Oversight approved with conditions regarding pending litigation at its May 2022 meeting.
- Authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds for the purpose of financing ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike projects.
- Authorizing an application with the Council of Bond Oversight for financing ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike projects.
- Directing an application to the Oklahoma Supreme Court for validation of bonds to be issued for the purpose of financing ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike projects at issue in pending litigation.
- Sending proposed design routes for new ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike alignments to the Oklahoma Transportation Commission for approval.
“The board directed us at its May meeting to quickly address the litigation related to the ACCESS Oklahoma long-range plan,” OTA Executive Director Tim Gatz said. “We presented the board with resolutions it passed today that will allow us to move forward with meeting that May meeting instruction.
“We have begun the process of requesting bond sale approval from the Council of Bond Oversight and having the Oklahoma Supreme Court validate the routes. By having this special meeting, we avoid months-long delays to critical statewide projects such as the needed widening of the Turner and Kilpatrick turnpikes.”
The board also approved toll rates for I-44/H.E. Bailey Turnpike for its conversion to PlatePay (cashless tolling). The approval, expedited after a Friday overnight crash at the Newcastle toll plaza, will allow OTA to convert the H.E. Bailey turnpike between Oklahoma City and Lawton to PlatePay in late June, about five weeks in advance of the originally planned conversion.
To learn more about ACCESS Oklahoma, visit www.AccessOklahoma.com or call the ACCESS Oklahoma hotline at 1-844-562-2237.
The board, a six-member panel appointed by the governor to an eight-year term to oversee turnpike development, awards project contracts for road and bridge construction on a monthly basis.
The next Oklahoma Turnpike Authority board meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 28, at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Commission Room, 200 N.E. 21st St., Oklahoma City. The meeting also will be available to view live online.