Get ready to shell out more money to take a drive down any of the Oklahoma turnpikes. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s move to increase fees takes effect March 1 as the rates go up 12 percent.
It means a drive from Oklahoma City to Tulsa will go from $4 to $4.50. Pikepass users will see an increase from $3.90 to $4.40 for the same trip.
The increase in tolls is the first since 2009 and was approved last fall. The new rates apply to heavy trucks as well as cars.
Drivers will see another increase Jan. 1 of next year when tolls go up 2.5 percent.
OTA spokesman Jack Damrill says the 12 percent hike this year should raise $26 million a year. It will go toward the $935 million initiative called Driving Forward. The initiative includes construction improvements to the Gilcrease Expressway, the Muskogee Turnpike, the Turner Turnpike, the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and the Kilpatrick turnpike in Oklahoma City.