Board votes against turnpike
More transparency sought on expansion
The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution Monday, asking for more transparency regarding a proposed turnpike expansion set to run through parts of Norman and Moore.
The resolution echoed concerns of Norman residents regarding various issues with the proposed South Extension Turnpike, chief among them being potential destruction and displacement of homes, disruption of wildlife and worries of pollution from runoff in natural water resources.
Key to the success of the $5 billion, 15-year-long ACCESS Oklahoma project — “Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide” — would be eminent domain. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority can, by right of the government in taking private land for public use, negotiate compensation with homeowners in using their properties for the toll road.
But Norman residents and scientific communities said they were not consulted before the plan was announced, and engineers on behalf of OTA have admitted they have not completed environmental surveys.
“Without this information, the Cleveland County Board of County Commissioners cannot, in good faith, on behalf of the public trust, condone the construction of the ACCESS Oklahoma project plan that is currently proposed to occur in Cleveland County,” the resolution read.
Recent legislation passed in the Oklahoma Senate during late March requires the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to conduct more studies on possible environmental impacts of the planned expansion. Cleveland County commissioners similarly asked for “extensive
and comprehensive” ecological studies to be undertaken and shared with the public before the OTA finalized the project.
All members of the board — County Commissioners Rod Cleveland, Harold Haralson and Darry Stacy — approved the resolution to the applause of more than 100 Norman residents who attended the meeting.
“I know this is one step in a long fight, but I appreciate all of you that showed up,” Stacy said. “I know how absolutely important this is to each of you. … We’re going to be a part of this with you.”
A few residents took two minutes each to voice their support for the commissioners and the resolution.
“Personally, I view this as a similar situation to a large tornado going through a community and destroying many, many homes in its path,” Kelly Wilson said. “And after a major tornado, we see the governor come out and support us. The mayors come out, and the entire state of Oklahoma rolls out and supports the people. But it feels like we’re going through this alone.”
Wilson, who has been a vocal critic of the planned expansion in recent weeks, said the movement opposing the turnpike has been slow to gain traction. Wilson said she sees the latest support from county commissioners and state legislators as a promising sign.
So, too, does Ward 5 City Councilmember Rarchar Tortorello, who organized the first town hall meeting regarding the planned turnpike in early March that drew 1,000 people.
“There’s absolutely more optimism, because now we have the county commissioners in line with the city of Norman,” Tortorello said. “Basically, we’re all on the same page, meaning we’re in line with values that Norman families are protected and their voices are being heard.”
One resident, Tanner Naeher said his family’s new home lies in the pathway of the new toll road and will be “completely taken out” if the plans go through.
“We’ve put so much work into our land, getting it ready to build our house on it and build our future,” Naeher said. “My wife and I had our daughter last September, and we were hoping for no more surprises this year, but then we get this news. It’s just been shocking.”
Naeher, who proposed to his wife on the property and married her during the height of the pandemic, said he considers eminent domain equal to theft.
“I can hardly sleep at night because of the emotional toll this has taken on us. I’ve been trying to come to terms with how I’m supposed to tell her that her future was robbed from her — how the government took her future away from her. I don’t want anybody to ever go through what we’ve had to go through this last month.”