Just under 300 people attended the last of three Oklahoma Transportation Authority Open Houses concerning the recent change to the South Extension Turnpike Monday at Noble High School.

OTA officials, who said this was the largest turnout of the three meetings, report about 75 homes will be affected including several in McClain County.

“We were pleased to have reached the people who truly needed to hear the information and leave us their contact information for updates as design progresses, OTA spokesperson Terri Angier said.

“We had urged those who were not impacted by this alignment to be respectful of those homeowners who just found out who they are and allow them one-on-one time with us. We were pleased to be able to spend time with the actual homeowners on this alignment or those in the near vicinity,” she continued.

OTA land agents answered a lot of questions from homeowners and we also shared next steps like the design consultants who should be selected in the next few months.

Officials estimate it will take about 12-18 months to finalize.

Designers will also work with each municipality on their specific needs and requests for feasibility with each stretch including all the needed studies to best design the facility.

During this time, the OTA plans to keep everyone abreast about all progress and be available to answer any specific questions they can at the same hotline number and email for ACCESS as before.

The segment between north Norman (the East-West Connector) to SH 9 is estimated to open to traffic by 2032 and the segment between SH 9 to I-35 near Purcell in 2034.

There will still be some interchange and other work going on after that date.