Oklahoma turnpike tolls to rise, increasing the cost to travel to Tulsa by about 35 cents

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tolls on Oklahoma turnpikes are set to increase Jan. 5.

For PikePass customers traveling on the state turnpike system, the cost will increase by about a penny to 8 cents for every mile driven. 

The toll increase will bring the cost for PikePass holders traveling from Oklahoma City to Tulsa in a passenger vehicle to $5.75, up from $5.40, said Lisa Shearer-Salim, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

The agency on Thursday approved the toll increase to pay for a 15-year, $9 billion turnpike expansion and improvement project, called the Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide, or ACCESS.

The increase is designed to generate a 6% revenue increase for the turnpike authority, said Mary Biswell, the agency’s director of revenue assurance.

“We anticipate coming back every two years to consider another 6% increase,” Biswell said.

The hike keeps revenues adjusted for inflation and pays for the significant reinvestment into the system, Biswell said.

The last toll hike was in 2025, Biswell said.

The agency’s governing board also approved a toll hike for the Gilcrease Expressway, which is not on the turnpike system due to how it was financed.

The increase for PikePass passenger vehicles will be about 15 cents if they travel the entire five miles of the roadway, Shearer-Salim said.

“Even with this increase going into effect Jan. 5, we will still have the ninth lowest toll rate in the nation for a transponder,” Shearer-Salim said.

Turnpike customers can use the agency’s toll calculator to look up rates, she said. It will be updated to reflect the new rates when the increased tolls take effect.

The ACCESS project was to initially cost $5 billion, a figure that later rose to $8.2 billion due to inflation. 

It is now projected to cost about $9 billion as additional projects, such as eight-laning the Turner Turnpike from Bristow to Oklahoma City, have been added, she said. It had originally planned for six lanes, she said.