Perhaps the first thing to realize when talking about Oklahoma's turnpikes is there is no such thing as a "free" highway.
Turnpikes in Oklahoma get built through the sale of bonds which get repaid through the collection of tolls.
Since the construction of the state's original toll road, the Turner Turnpike in the early 1950s, Oklahomans have approved extending the date when the toll roads revert to normal highways, paid for by taxes.
Currently, that date stands at some time in 2028.
However, yet another possible turnpike project currently under study in the Tulsa area could once again push the conversion from toll roads to tax-supported roads further into the future.
Jack Damrill of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority tells KRMG that the City of Tulsa has requested OTA to study a "Gilcrease Turnpike," which would basically run from the junction of U.S. 412 and the L.L Tisdale Parkway south to where the Creek Turnpike currently connects to the Turner Turnpike, or Interstate 44.
"Tulsa is really wanting that corridor for economic development," Damrill tells KRMG.
He expects the OTA feasibility study to be complete some time this year.
Damrill said such a road would be "very expensive to build."
A lot of land would have to be acquired and the road would have to span the Arkansas River west of Tulsa.