Should hundreds of Oklahoma families be forced from homes for sake of toll roads?

Oklahoma, you have a turnpike problem. It is not a partisan problem. It affects residents of all political affiliations. It is not a NIMBY (Not-In-My-Back-Yard) problem. The state Turnpike Authority puts all Oklahomans in harm’s way, not just those who live in the proposed path of the planned Access Oklahoma highway extensions.

The heart of the problem is that the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is allowed to use government power to seize private property for private gain. The agency does not receive state or federal money to operate turnpikes, which means it can avoid federal highway regulations, sidestep rigorous environmental impact assessments, and keep many of its records hidden from view. But OTA is also part of state government and is planning to use its powers of eminent domain to seize hundreds of family homes and thousands of acres of scenic rural land to build new highways.

Unlike other public agencies, OTA operates without public input and has no mandate to create public good. In its current configuration, the OTA answers only to the governor, a small group of businessmen appointed by the governor, and the undisclosed investors who purchase its bonds.

The highways constructed by the Turnpike Authority are toll roads, and all Oklahomans pay to use them. Most states use public funds to build free roads. But Oklahoma makes its residents pay many times over for the privilege of driving from point A to point B. The state now has the second-highest number of toll roads in the country and is planning to build many more. Some of these roads do not earn enough in revenue to recover the costs of construction.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/viewpoint-hundreds-oklahoma-families-forced-100037057.html