OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority has approved a series of turnpike rate increases that could require motorists to pay 50 cents more when traveling from Oklahoma City to Tulsa.
The board on Tuesday approved 12 percent rate hikes for drivers on all state turnpikes, followed by 2.5 percent increase in 2018 and an additional 2.5 percent increase in 2019. The increase implementation depends on the Oklahoma Supreme Court approving the constitutionality of a pending $480 million bond issue, The Oklahoman newspaper (https://bit.ly/2gbbe5O ) reported.
If the court approves the bond issue, the toll hikes would be implemented as soon as practical, Turnpike Authority spokesman Jack Damrill said.
Authority members conditionally approved the toll increases to help pay for the proposed bond issue, which would financially assist construction of a new Oklahoma County toll road, in addition to work on the Gilcrease Expressway, the Muskogee Turnpike, the Turner Turnpike, the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and the Kilpatrick Turnpike.
Attorney Jerry Fent, who has repeatedly sued the state over bond issues and the legislative practice of “log rolling,” questioned the constitutionality of the bond issue.
Fent said allowing it to fund many projects oversteps a constitutional provision requiring that a state law covers only one subject. He also said the OTA was violating a constitutional provision that prohibits debt to run in perpetuity by collecting more and more bond debt from toll revenues.
OTA has disputed Fent’s challenge, leaving the decision to the state Supreme Court.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, https://www.newsok.com
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