OKLAHOMA CITY – Last fall, speed limits on Oklahoma’s turnpike system were permitted to increase from 75 to 80 miles per hour following the implementation of a new law – signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in April 2019 – and authored by State Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton.
Pae’s House Bill 1071 also called for an increase in speed limits on certain state highways from 70 to 75 miles per hour.
But the changes did not happen overnight.
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, working in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, opted to first conduct a safety study addressing engineering and traffic issues that would be affected as the changes were gradually put into place.
While Pae was not available for comment, he explained to reporters last October that everything would be done to make sure the speed limit changes would be implemented gradually and safely.
“We will use traffic and engineering studies that take into consideration things such as traffic density and infrastructure quality to determine where we could safely increase these speed limits,” Pae said at the time.
Speaking with Southwest Ledger this week, OTA spokesman Jack Damrill explained that the turnpike studies are complete and at their monthly meeting to be held Tuesday, July 28, highway officials will unveil their recommendations for the stretches of turnpike that they suggest should feature the 80 mph speed limit.
Damrill would not hint as to what changes would be coming, preferring to wait until next week for the announcement to be official.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, OTA’s monthly board meeting will take place via teleconference. OTA says information related to the speed limit matter for Tuesday’s virtual meeting will be posted on their website, pikepass.com, as it becomes available.