The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority officially named its new East-West Connector in honor of the late Oklahoma-native country singer Toby Keith on Tuesday, despite the family’s initial opposition to the project.
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to name turnpike through north Norman after Toby Keith
The approval comes after the Oklahoma legislature passed a resolution Thursday to commemorate Keith’s life and legacy with the roadway by naming it “Toby Keith Expressway.”
The East-West Connector is a nearly 30 mile, $3 billion portion of the ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike plan which will extend from Interstate 44 east to Interstate 35 near Indian Hills Road, and continue northeast to Interstate 40. The East-West Connector is expected to be completed by 2033, according to the OTA’s website.
Keith, who had 33 No. 1 hits and sold more than 44 million albums, died from cancer in 2024. Keith’s wife Tricia Covel and children Krystal Keith, Shelley Covel Rowland and Stelen Covel all attended the meeting.
OTA Executive Director Joe Echelle read the resolution, which was authored by Rep. Jason Blair (R-Moore) and Sen. Lisa Standridge (R-Norman), to the OTA board of directors, who approved the naming designation unanimously.
“The legislature recognizes the significance of this route for transportation safety, regional connectivity and interstate commerce and growth and finds it appropriate to designate an official name for the turnpike to memorialize its importance,” Echelle read.
Standridge, Blair and Sens. Darcy Jech (R-Kingfisher) and George Burns (R-Pollard) also attended the meeting. Standridge said Keith was a pillar of the Norman community.
“Naming this expressway in (Keith’s) honor is a small tribute compared to the enormous legacy he leaves behind, but it's only fitting that his accomplishments and patriotism be remembered for generations to come, …” Standridge said. “With this new road, Toby Keith will forever be a part of Oklahoma's history.”
Stelen Covel said his family was honored to be represented and has come to terms with the turnpike.
“Originally, as a family, we all were relatively against the turnpike, as it was going to displace some of our community members,” Stelen Covel said, “but once our voices in the community weren't going to be heard, we decided to look at the silver linings of what the economic drivers are and how it's going to actually benefit the area.”
When asked if this is what his father would want, Stelen Covel said he thinks so, and he wasn't sure if the family had made any public statements about Keith’s support for the turnpike before his death.
“He was for the turnpike before he passed, …” Stelen Covel said. “I think this is the state giving back to him in whatever way it could.”
In a statement on the social platform X Tuesday, OU wrote it is grateful to the Oklahoma legislature for recognizing Keith and to the OTA for advancing the project. The post reads that Keith’s music carried the “spirit of the state” around the world, a spirit it wrote will be reflected in the Toby Keith Expressway.
"Toby Keith was a great Oklahoman, artist, and philanthropist whose impact reached far beyond the stage. He loved the University of Oklahoma and supported students, fans, and fellow Oklahomans.”
The statement reads that the turnpike will strengthen the connections between campus and community, support local businesses, and better connect Norman and OU students across the state.
Statement from the University of Oklahoma: pic.twitter.com/M0C0iQVmX0
— University of Oklahoma (@UofOklahoma) March 3, 2026
Tricia Covel said the project’s displacement of Norman residents is nuanced, but the family is hopeful about the economic value of the project.
“It was bitter-sweet for our friends and families that were displaced,” Covel said. “But at the end of the day, we knew the economic value it was gonna have and what it was gonna bring to the Moore, Norman area.”
This story was edited by Natalie Armour. Kennedy Johnson and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
