Pike Off OTA filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Tuesday, seeking to halt further construction on the Toby Keith Expressway.
The lawsuit was filed by Pike Off OTA, an organization fighting turnpike expansion in Oklahoma, and alleges the defendants failed to comply with federal environmental laws governing project construction. The lawsuit seeks to prevent additional bond funding until the required permits, environmental reviews and agency consultations have been completed.
Other defendants in the lawsuit include the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Tulsa Division of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The project, also known as the East-West Connector, is part of ACCESS Oklahoma, a long-term plan to upgrade Oklahoma’s turnpike system. The Toby Keith Expressway would run from Interstate 44 in Newcastle, crossing the Canadian River to connect with Interstate 35. It would continue into Norman along Indian Hills Road, going northeast to Interstate 40 and connecting to the Kickapoo Turnpike, according to the ACCESS Oklahoma website.
The lawsuit claims the construction of the Toby Keith Expressway is negatively affecting U.S. water and endangered species habitats, as well as violates several acts, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Transportation Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
According to the lawsuit, construction has altered protected waterways in the Canadian River by discharging materials into the water and rerouting the waterways.
In March 2026, Norman City Council approved a contract between the city and the OTA, which paid the city $8.95 million to relocate water wells and lines in northwest Norman for future construction of the Toby Keith Expressway.
Previous lawsuits
In a lawsuit filed against the OTA in May 2022, Pike Off OTA claimed the authority was in violation of State Statute 69 Section 1705, which authorizes where the OTA can propose a toll road. The court ruled that it has exclusive original jurisdiction to determine if the OTA is authorized to construct the turnpikes.
Later that month, over 150 Cleveland County residents filed a separate suit claiming the OTA violated the Open Meeting Act. An associate district court judge ruled in favor of the residents, but the Oklahoma Supreme Court later overturned the ruling on the basis that the evidence was legally defective.
This story was edited by Audrey McClour.
