OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) — It's the first of the month, which means prices on toll roads are officially up! The rates are increasing whether you use a pike pass or plate pay.
"The overall toll increase is 15%," said Joe Echelle, the OTA Executive Director.
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said since 1953 the authority has raised its tolls 11 times.
Officials said the new 2025 price hike is to help pay to expand Oklahoma's turnpike system through the Turnpike Authority's Access Oklahoma Plan.
"Which included significant improvements to the Turner, H.E. Bailey, and Muskogee turnpikes, as well as the opening of two new turnpikes, the Kickapoo and the John Kilpatrick southeast extension," said Echelle.
According to Oklahoma's Turnpike Authority's toll calculator, it'll now cost you .90 cents more, totaling $5.40 to travel from Oklahoma City to Tulsa on the state's busiest toll road, the Turner Turnpike.
It will cost almost $6 for a trip from Oklahoma City to the state line through Lawton on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike.
Finally, to drive the length of the Kilpatrick, it'll not cost just over $3.
If you use plate pay, those numbers are doubled.
So how can you avoid paying those tolls? You will need to allow more time for the drive.
From Oklahoma City to Tulsa, it'll take you about 2 hours and 5 minutes, compared to an hour and a half.
The drive to Lawton will take two hours if you avoid tolls.
The rate hikes may not be over either. In 2 years, there's a possibility of a 6% rate hike due to inflation.
"The turnpike authority board will review that every year before we prepare an agenda item and there's a possible …possibility that if we have enough users, that rate could not need to be increased by 6%," said Echelle.
To break it down even more, officials said if you drive a regular car, you will go from paying 6 cents per mile on the turnpike to 7 cents.
To look at the toll calculator and plan out your trip, click here.
