Last week’s announcement of a new route for the  South Extension Turnpike could impact numerous McClain County residents.

They could include but not limited to property owned by Johnny Mattingly, Bobby Huddleston, Kevin Andrews, Lewis and Beverly Price, Phyllis Bennett, Stacy Wilkes, Bryce Hartsfield, Corey Wyatt,  Darrin McAlester, Scott McGregor, Brent and Amy Lynn and the area north of David Byles.

Andrews reported he and his wife, Lisa, Johnny and Holly Mattingly and Lewis and Beverly Price will all lose their homes with the new highway construction project.

There are possibly two more homes that will be affected.

Following extensive research, an initial environmental evaluation and with input from the public, the new alignment will provide a traffic reliever route for I-35 in the south Oklahoma City metro, a vital transportation corridor for one of the region’s fastest-growing areas and one that is increasingly congested, the OTA said.

“Our top priority was minimizing the impact on people’s homes in the area,” said OTA Executive Director Joe Echelle. “It was especially important to us that the new alignment avoid populated subdivisions, section line roads and dense development. Our engineers also looked closely at environmental considerations such as floodplains, considered municipal land use plans and existing utilities.”

OTA considered several factors on where to move the alignment:

• Minimizing the number of homes impacted and especially developed subdivisions;
• Avoiding section line roads, when possible, due to homes and utilities;
• Considering information from the public and from publicly available data about areas that flood, cemeteries, cultural sites and wildlife in the area.

An alignment starting at Indian Hills Road and running south between 48th St. and 60th Ave. through Norman and Noble was identified as having the least impact on homes. In the Noble area, the alignment will cross US 77 followed by the Canadian River before connecting with I-35 north of Purcell.

Interchanges will be constructed at four locations:

• East-West Connector interchange just south of Indian Hills Road between 48th and 60th Ave. N.E.
• SH 9 between 48th and 60th Ave. N.E.
• US 77 between 48th and 60th Ave. S.E.
• I-35 near Purcell

Possible interchanges to be built upon request from local municipalities may be at Alameda St. between 48th and 60th Ave. N.E.; Lindsey St. between 48th and 60th Ave. N.E.; Etowah Road between 60th Ave. S.E. and 72nd Ave. S.E. and Maguire Road between 60th Ave. S.E. and 72nd Ave. S.E.

The northern portion of the alignment is consistent with Norman’s AIM plan for land use east of 48th.

Locations for the SH 9 interchange were limited due to existing subdivisions, wetlands and streams. This location works well because it avoids many of those issues.

South of SH 9, the alignment moves southeasterly to avoid developments and moves east of 60th S.E. to be consistent with City of Noble plans for more dense development west of 60th Ave. S.E. It also avoids Noble High School.

Due to development along US-77 and extensive utilities in that area, no changes were made to the alignment from US 77 to I-35 from what was proposed in 2022.

From the East-West Connector, South Extension Turnpike traffic can connect with I-40 and the I-35/Kickapoo Turnpike, then to the I-44/Turner Turnpike to reach Northeastern Oklahoma.

“We understand that this can be an emotionally charged time for those whose homes may be impacted. We want to work directly with anyone who lives between 48th St. and 60th Ave. between I-35 and Indian Hills Road,” said OTA Chief Engineer Trenton January.

“We encourage homeowners and property owners to attend our Open House meetings, to stay in contact with us, know their rights and understand the process for right-of-way property acquisition.”

The South Extension Turnpike is expected to impact about 75 homes; the same number estimated on the original alignment. As OTA gets closer to the 60 percent design phase, the exact parcels needed will be shared with homeowners.

Construction is anticipated to begin in 2027, with the northern portion of the South Extension Turnpike opening to traffic in 2032 and the southern portion opening to traffic in 2034 and interchanges completing later.

The South Extension Turnpike is part of OTA’s 15-year, long-range improvement plan, ACCESS Oklahoma, which seeks to modernize and expand the state’s turnpike network to meet growing traffic demands.

Those with questions are encouraged to reach out to the hot line at 1-844-56-ACCESS or info@accessoklahoma.com.