The Turner Turnpike is a toll road in central Oklahoma, connecting its two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1947 and opened in May 1953, it is the oldest of the state's ten turnpikes. The route is signed as Interstate 44 for its entire length, but was constructed prior to its designation as such. The Turner Turnpike was named after Governor Roy J. Turner, who pushed for efforts to build this toll road to connect the state's two largest cities.
Route description
The route begins north of Oklahoma City, as Interstates 35 and 44 and SH-66 approach it from the south. I-35/SH-66 split to the north, and I-44 begins its journey eastward as the Turnpike. It ends later, southwest of Tulsa, at a junction with SH-66. The posted speed limit is, making it possible to drive legally from Tulsa to downtown Oklahoma City in under 90 minutes. In addition to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa entrance points on the turnpike, other interchanges are located in Wellston, Chandler, Stroud, Bristow, near Kellyville and Sapulpa. Toll plazas are located at each of those interchanges. The toll plaza at Bristow was the first of the new plazas reconstructed incorporating "state-of-the-industry" electronic toll collection and other operational features for the convenience and safety of motorists utilizing the turnpike system. Additional toll plazas, similar in design, were subsequently reconstructed at Chandler, Stroud, Kellyville, and Sapulpa. A new interchange east of the western terminus was added at Hogback Road in Luther, and was opened in May 2011.
Tolls
A two-axle vehicle currently pays $4.75 to drive the full length of the Turnpike. When adjusted for inflation, tolls have fallen over 50% to, among the cheapest in the nation. However, despite being paid off, the Turner Turnpike will remain tolled, as Oklahoma does not toll its roads on a "per road" basis, instead pooling all toll revenue to apply toward paying off all such projects. This is called cross-pledging, which has allowed OTA to build many turnpikes that would not be economically feasible alone. The Turner Turnpike uses a somewhat unusual tolling system. The Turnpike has only one barrier toll plaza, located northeast of Stroud, at which drivers pay the full toll and are issued a receipt. If one exits before reaching this plaza, the toll for the portion traveled is collected at the exit. If one's desired exit is located after the plaza, the motorist presents their receipt to the attendant, and the fare for the untraveled portion of the turnpike is refunded to the driver. Travelers exiting the turnpike westbound at Wellston or Luther, eastbound at Kellyville or East Sapulpa, as well as at the two termini do not receive any refund. A similar situation exists for motorists entering the turnpike at an interchange. If one is entering in the direction away from the main toll plaza, the toll for the portion between the interchange and the terminus is collected at the ramp plaza; a refund receipt is still issued should the motorist exit at another interchange. Motorists entering in the direction toward the toll plaza are issued a ticket at the interchange which shows proof of entry. This ticket is then presented to the toll collector at the main toll plaza, and the fare for the untraveled portion of the turnpike is deducted from their toll. This system was implemented in 1992.
Services
A full service area, featuring a McDonald'srestaurant and EZ-GO gas station is located in the median near Stroud. In addition, an eastbound gas station is located near Chandler. Full service areas featuring similar amenities as the Stroud Service Area were previously located eastbound at Bristow and westbound at Wellston, and a westbound gas station was located near Heyburn. The fuel stations at Bristow and Wellston closed in 2007, and the McDonald's restaurants at the same locations were closed and demolished ca. 2011. The Heyburn gas station was closed in June 2017 in anticipation of a major turnpike reconstruction project. These five service areas were originally Howard Johnson's restaurants and full-service Phillips 66 stations, but changed to their current configurations in the 1980s as was the case with concession areas along other Oklahoma turnpikes. In April 2019, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announced reconstruction plans for Stroud service plaza. There will be two separate facilities, one for each direction of travel. The eastbound service plaza will be built in 2019 at a new location east of Chandler. The westbound plaza will be built in 2020 in the same general location as the existing facility. The turnpike will also be reconstructed to make the new westbound service area a right-hand exit off the turnpike. As part of the project, the eastbound gas station at Chandler will also be closed. Law enforcement along the Turner Turnpike is provided by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop YB, a special troop assigned to the turnpike.
