Oklahoma

Why Doesn’t Oklahoma Have An OTA-Run Train System

Published

4 months ago

December 19, 2024

Why Doesn’t Oklahoma Have An OTA-Run Train System

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority has been in operation for 77 years with the goal of creating and maintaining Oklahoma’s turnpike systems.

Executive Director Joe Echelle spoke with News On 6 about various topics surrounding the OTA including why it hasn’t invested in a high-speed rail system despite having the authority to do so.

Has the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) considered implementing train systems or parking garages?

According to Joe Echelle, Executive Director of the OTA, there are provisions in state statute that allow for the potential development of parking garages or train systems under the agency’s purview. However, these concepts have not materialized due to their immense costs and logistical challenges.

What are the challenges of building a train system between Oklahoma City and Tulsa?

Echelle explained that constructing a high-speed rail system between the two cities would cost billions of dollars. Beyond the upfront expense, the operational logistics make it difficult to justify such a project.

“In order to affect the number of vehicles that travel the Turner Turnpike, which is north of 40,000 vehicles on a weekday, you’d need to get thousands of people on a train. That’s just not feasible,” said Echelle.

Factors like frequency, ridership demand, and infrastructure costs all contribute to the challenge.

Could other forms of transportation, like buses, be more feasible?

Echelle believes there is potential for alternative solutions, such as an express bus service connecting Oklahoma City and Tulsa. He pointed to the success of the OSU bus system, which transports students between campuses in Stillwater, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City.

“As we get the Turner Turnpike widened, I think it’s a real possibility to get an express bus service. But first, we need to address congestion by separating truck traffic from commuter lanes,” Echelle said.

To be clear, OTA wouldn’t have any role in creating or maintaining a bus service, but Echelle believes the expanded turnpike would be able to facilitate one.

Why is expanding the Turner Turnpike prioritized over alternative transportation?

Echelle said the Turner Turnpike currently handles traffic effectively, but ongoing efforts to expand it to six lanes aim to improve flow and address future congestion. Echelle emphasized that widening the turnpike will allow truck traffic to remain in the outer lanes, giving commuters smoother travel options in the inner lanes.

Could parking garages still be part of OTA’s future?

While state law includes provisions for parking infrastructure, the focus for the OTA remains on improving roadways and exploring more viable transportation alternatives.

What is OTA’s overall vision for transportation in Oklahoma?

Echelle stated that a well-rounded transportation network, which includes trains, buses, and rapid transit, is essential for the state’s growing metropolitan areas. However, practical solutions like express bus services are more likely in the near term, especially as the Turner Turnpike widening progresses.

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Oklahoma

House sends bill curtailing virtual school day use to Oklahoma governor

Published

11 hours ago

April 29, 2025

Press Room

House sends bill curtailing virtual school day use to Oklahoma governor

OKLAHOMA CITY — The state House on Tuesday sent a bill that would limit most public schools to two virtual days a year to the governor’s desk despite bipartisan opposition. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, Senate Bill 758 limits brick-and-mortar schools to 12 hours of virtual instruction as long as the state superintendent approves […]

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma DL Gracen Halton Looking to Continue Progression in 2025

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma DL Gracen Halton Looking to Continue Progression in 2025

NORMAN — After his best college season yet, Gracen Halton returns to Oklahoma as one of the leaders on a veteran defensive line.

Halton, a 6-foot-2, 284-pound defensive tackle entering his senior year, played all of the Sooners’ 13 games in 2024 and started three of them.

With several other veterans in OU’s front seven, Halton’s primary goal for 2025 is simple: be a major factor in one of the Sooners’ most experienced position groups.

“It’s great to have that experience, you know what I’m saying?” Halton said during a post-practice media in the spring. “Guys that know what to do, those guys can coach up the younger guys so that when we’re not here, the younger guys can take it to another level.”

Halton’s production in his first three seasons at OU was linear.

As a true freshman in 2022, he played in 10 games, finishing the season with 10 total tackles, with tackle for loss. Halton played 11 games in 2023 — zero starts — and ended the season with 3.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.

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And last year, Halton played a key role on the Sooners’ defensive line.

Halton finished the 2024 campaign with 30 tackles, six TFLs, five quarterback sacks, three hurries, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a safety. Halton earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors in the Sooners’ Week 2 win against Houston, logging two tackles for loss and the game-clinching safety.

Halton finished the 2024 season with a Pro Football Focus defensive grade of 75.4. That grade was second among OU interior defensive lineman who played more than 10 games, behind only David Stone (75.7).

Still, even after such a stellar season, Halton isn’t content. He used spring ball to improve both as a player and as a leader.

“I’ve been through it before,” Halton said. “So just taking it day by day, just really getting better at the things I need to. Knowing what I need to get better and just taking it and applying it on the field.”

Halton sees his run-stopping abilities as an area where he can get better. While Halton’s pass rush grade was 76.7 in 2024, his run defense grade was a bit lower at 71.3, fourth-best among Sooner defensive tackles.

“Just staying in those double teams,” Halton said. “Things that I watched film on myself from last year (in run defense). Things I feel like I need to get better at.”

OU’s defensive line is loaded with players who have played hundreds of snaps for the Sooners, including senior tackle Damonic Williams, senior defensive end R Mason Thomas, sophomore tackle Jayden Jackson and Stone, a sophomore. The Sooners also picked up former Florida State and Georgia defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. from the transfer portal.

In a defensive line group filled with talented, experienced players, cornerback Gentry Williams believes Halton will be a centerpiece again in 2025.

“Gracen Halton had an excellent season,” Williams said. “I think G-baby has done a really good job (in spring practice).”

Oklahoma also signed two defensive linemen — tackle Trent Wilson and defensive end Alex Shieldnight — in its 2025 recruiting class. 247Sports rated both Wilson and Shieldnight as 3-star prospects.

With an array of old and new talent up front for OU’s defense, it’s hard to predict what the Sooners’ defensive two-deep will look like. But it’s safe to assume Halton will be a key piece for OU’s d-line, no matter where he lines up.

“I feel very comfortable,” Halton said. “I feel like it came through last year like game four or five, getting comfortable in where I was playing. Now I’m just getting better at it. All the mistakes I made, just getting better at those.”

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