Screech!

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s multibillion dollar ACCESS Oklahoma program that includes an extensive project on the Turner Turnpike through Lincoln County has been put on hold.

Two weeks ago, on Dec. 1, Seminole County Associate District Judge Timothy Olsen ruled the OTA violated the Open Meetings Act during its January and February board meetings earlier this year.

As a result of that decision, the projects authorized during those meetings have been put on hold. Among them is the 68-mile continuation and completion of the reconstruction and widening that stretches from I-35 in Oklahoma City to SH 66 east of Bristow.

According to the OTA, the estimated cost as of March 25 this year was $1,290,000,000 for the project that would include adding lanes, improving/adding interchanges and other safety features to include lights.

According to the OTA, the Turner Turnpike is a vital corridor that connects Oklahoma’s two metro areas. Improving