Lawmakers have filed a number of bills aiming to overhaul how the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority operates.
The legislation, which ranges from giving legislators the power to set toll rates to rerouting a proposed controversial turnpike route in the Norman area, comes as the agency has faced increased scrutiny for its multi-billion dollar expansion project.
“We’re reviewing all filed legislation related to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and will be reaching out to those legislators,” said Lisa Shearer-Salim, an OTA spokeswoman.
She declined to comment on the individual proposals.
Some bills seek to remove the OTA’s ability to increase tolls.
The agency raised tolls Jan. 1 by an average of 15% to pay for the 15-year Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely, dubbed ACCESS. The initial estimated cost was $5.1 billion, but has risen to $8.2 billion. More toll hikes are expected to be considered.
Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman, Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, and Sen. Jonathan Wingard, R-Ada, have all filed bills to prohibit the OTA from raising tolls.
The OTA issues bonds to pay for new turnpikes and raises tolls to retire the debt on the bonds.
House Bill 2097, authored by Menz, requires legislative approval before the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority can increase toll rates on any turnpikes in this state. Menz said her constituents believe OTA has abused its power.
“I am looking forward to hearing OTA’s thoughts and concerns,” she said.
Senate Bill 975, by Wingard, does the same thing but also prohibits the Legislature from approving increases that give more than a 10% discount to members of a certain class.
Currently, those using PlatePay are charged considerably more than those using PikePass.
Under PlatePay, a picture of the license plate is taken. The person to whom the vehicle is registered is mailed an invoice.
Under PikePass, tolls are dedicated from a prepaid account when a vehicle passes certain points on the turnpikes.
It costs about 50% more to use PlatePay, but most customers are on PikePass, according to the OTA.
Senate Bill 493, by Standridge, would prohibit the proposed Norman area turnpike from being built west of Lake Thunderbird State Park as is currently planned.
Moving the alignment east could impact tribal land.
“It is of great concern to us,” said Absentee Shawnee Treasurer Joseph Blanchard. “It would potentially be coming through Absentee Shawnee territory.”
He said no one with OTA has reached out to tribal leaders.
The land contains family burial sites and ceremonial grounds, he said.
Standridge did not return a message seeking comment.
Other bills would cap how much debt the agency could incur.
Currently, there is no cap.
Preventing tolls from being increased could potentially impact the OTA’s trust agreement and investors, said Bobby Stem, executive director of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors, a trade association that advocates for road and bridge infrastructure.
“No legislator ever wants to take a vote to increase taxes or fees,” Stem said. “We understand why. However, this critical infrastructure will deteriorate if these investments are not made.”
The placement and alignment of turnpikes is best left to professional engineers that have the expertise, he said.
Stem said about half of the tolls collected are paid by out-of-state drivers.
People who don’t like paying tolls should find an alternative route, he said.
“We all would be getting to grandma’s house 30 minutes later every Sunday if it weren’t for some of these turnpikes,” Stem said.
Lawmakers return Feb. 3 to the Capitol.
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