September Board Meeting Wrap-Up
PIKEPASS now works with 6 more toll entities
PIKEPASS customers can now use toll roads in five more states in the Northeastern U.S. without a second transponder or a separate license-plate bill, after the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority joined six tolling agencies Aug. 30.
Drivers heading east can keep using the PIKEPASS they already have, OTA IT Director Amanda Boulden told the Board at its monthly meeting Tuesday. The Board authorized the agreement earlier this year.
“This partnership has been years in the making,” Boulden said. “And OTA is thrilled to offer this additional benefit to PIKEPASS customers.”
Executive Director Joe Echelle said the launch was possible because OTA upgraded every toll reader on the system years ago to read all three transponder types used nationally. That investment now allows OTA to connect with a new tolling entity as soon as the partner’s systems are ready.
Joining the network also cuts the number of invoices OTA mails to out-of-state drivers. “This will make billing, tolling much easier for us, less collections that have to go out, less PlatePay, less mailing,” Echelle said. “It’s a major cost savings to our operation.”
Echelle credited Deputy Director Joni Seymour, Boulden and their teams, calling them national leaders in tolling interoperability. Not all tolling agencies in these states may be interoperable with PIKEPASS yet. Customers are advised to check OTA’s interactive interoperability map at pikepass.com. More tolling entities are expected to join interoperability with PIKEPASS in the coming years.
This map graphic shows the states where the PIKEPASS toll transponder works in the Central U.S. and in five Eastern states. New entities interoperable with PIKEPASS include Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Skyway Concession Company (Chicago, Ill.), Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Indiana Toll Road Concession Company and North Carolina Turnpike Authority.
Board awards $45.3 million for future Toby Keith Expressway interchange at Western Avenue
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Board awarded a $45.3 million construction contract to Sherwood Construction Co. Inc. to build 1.5 miles of mainline turnpike and a full diamond interchange connecting the future Toby Keith Expressway with Western Avenue.
The project runs from 0.45 miles west of Western Avenue east to just west of South Santa Fe Avenue in Oklahoma City and Norman. It includes twin bridges at Western Avenue and frontage roads in both directions between Pennsylvania and South Santa Fe avenues.
Sherwood was the lowest bidder among six, about 10.8 percent below the engineer’s estimate. Director of Engineering Darian Butler said contractor competition for ACCESS Oklahoma work remains strong, with some new bidders entering the market.
“We’re definitely still seeing a number of bidders on quite a few projects, which we’re extremely happy to see,” Butler said.
Several ACCESS Oklahoma projects reach milestones this month
ACCESS Oklahoma Program Manager Ladan Nelson said several projects are nearing completion or major traffic shifts in September:
- Pavement reconstruction at mm 12-19 on the SH-351/Muskogee Turnpike near Coweta is nearly finished; traffic returns to normal by the end of September.
- The new eastbound bridge over Haikey Creek on the SH-364/Creek Turnpike should be completed by mid-September, with traffic shifting onto it by month’s end. This will allow reconstruction work on the westbound bridge to begin, which is expected to be completed in late summer 2027.
- The I-344/John Kilpatrick Turnpike interchange at Council Road is more than 55 percent complete, with beams placed on all bridges and the eastbound on-ramp is nearly done.
- On the I-44/Turner Turnpike bridge reconstruction near Arcadia, earthwork and pavement base work continues, with bridge beams expected to be installed this fall.
- Steel beams are in place over the Toby Keith Expressway bridge at the Canadian River, with deck work to follow. Piers and beams are set west of the river on the westbound bridge, which is the priority of the two bridges under construction.
- At Ragan Road on the SH-375/Indian Nation Turnpike near Indianola, the contractor is finishing ramps on the new full diamond interchange. Work is expected to be completed on this project later this year.
Design submittals have reached 213, up from 191 last quarter. OTA has identified 757 parcels of right of way systemwide, with 242 closed and 55 under contract. On the South Extension Turnpike, 60 percent design plans remain on track for late fall 2026, with approval expected late in the first quarter of 2027 — within the 12- to 18-month timeline OTA committed to last year. WATCH this portion of Tuesday’s Board meeting and see all ACCESS Oklahoma-related videos on OTA’s YouTube ACCESS playlist.
Toby Keith Expressway artwork unveiled
Nelson also shared a video with the Board of the aesthetic designs planned along the Toby Keith Expressway and specifically for the new interchange with I-35, which draw upon Keith’s love of horses and includes a custom guitar pick with his initials.
The Oklahoma star’s family Tricia Covel, Stelen Covel and Krystal Keith attended Tuesday’s meeting. OTA continues to work closely with the Covel family on all aspects related to bridge aesthetics and more upcoming artwork at the I-35 interchange.
“I don’t think any of us could think of another member of Oklahoma that has represented the Oklahoma value better than Toby Keith and his family,” OTA Board member Dana Weber said.
WATCH the video of the new look on YouTube.
This artist’s rendering depicts the future Toby Keith Expressway interchange at I-35 and features bridge aesthetics that honor the late Oklahoma singer’s legacy. These include images of running horses and a guitar pick symbol with Toby Keith’s initials.
South Extension interchange update
Three interchanges planned for the South Extension Turnpike in Cleveland County are out of the design after the Norman City Council voted 5-4 against a resolution endorsing them in late August.
The resolution would have committed the city to agreeing to interchange locations and moving to the next step: a project agreement spelling out who pays for what and who maintains the improvements once they’re built. OTA developed the resolution language with City of Norman staff over about six weeks, following a June meeting with stakeholders that included the City of Norman, the City of Noble, Cleveland County and the University of Oklahoma. The interchanges were proposed at Alameda, Tecumseh and Etowah roads.
The council voted Aug. 25, and OTA removed the interchanges from the design posted at accessoklahoma.com on Aug. 26. The right-of-way OTA is acquiring for the South Extension at those locations does not change, Echelle said. Designers were instructed not to alter anything that would prevent adding the interchanges later — a point Norman’s mayor raised during the vote, noting a future council could take them up.
OTA Board Vice Chairman Todd Cone said the interchanges would have helped manage University of Oklahoma game-day traffic. “It’s kind of disappointing,” he said. “Being very familiar with game day traffic, it would be great to have places to jump off.”
Board member John Titsworth pointed to emergency response. “When you need response, whether it’s fire, police, Highway Patrol, ambulance, they don’t have a place to either get off, turn around,” he said. “It just slows the response time.” Long gaps between exits are a documented safety problem, Echelle said, noting the I-44/Turner Turnpike runs 17 miles between Stroud and Bristow, and recalling a Newcastle fire truck destroyed when it got stuck turning around through a barrier-wall opening on the I-44/H.E. Bailey Turnpike and was struck by a car.
OTA will continue working with Norman on other options, Echelle said, including emergency access gates and coordination on fire station sites near the new turnpike. The Authority has also asked the University of Oklahoma about fans’ travel patterns, information that will help OTA plan the corridor for game-day traffic.
Students can name snowplows through Sept. 28
OTA and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation are inviting Oklahoma students in kindergarten through 12th grade to name 11 OTA and 24 ODOT snowplows. Entries are open through Sept. 28 at oktraffic.org.
Staff from both agencies will choose three finalists per plow, the public votes Oct. 12-16 on those finalists and winners will be announced Nov. 2. The names will appear on the snowplow tracking website during winter storms. Crews cleared nearly 640,000 miles of highways, interstates and turnpikes during storms this past January.
Echelle urges drivers to secure loads, buckle up
Director Echelle warned about improperly loaded trailers after several crashes caused by lost loads in the past week, including one vehicle hauling a skid steer improperly weighted at the rear of a trailer.
Most such crashes come down to driver error, overloading or distraction, and worsen at higher speeds, he said. They also endanger nearby motorists, first responders and OTA crews clearing the scene, and can trigger secondary crashes in the backup.
“We need everybody to pay attention, slow down, and make sure that you’re putting your load on correctly, especially if you’re one of those 80,000-pound loads,” Echelle said.
He also urged seat belt use, noting the state’s poor standing nationally. “Oklahoma still ranks among the bottom in seat belt usage. And we’re trying to get that up,” he said, asking Board members to carry the message into their communities.
WATCH this month’s full Board meeting on YouTube. The next OTA Board meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.
This collage of recent crashes on turnpikes in late August 2026 highlights the need to secure loads, put away distractions and obey speed limits