The turnpike project originally was given the name "Northeast Oklahoma County Loop." The road itself was proposed on October 29, 2015, by
Gov. Mary Fallin, as part of the state's Driving Forward initiative. On June 6, 2016, the tollway was approved by the
Oklahoma Department of Transportation, under the working title
Eastern Oklahoma County Turnpike. In September 2019, "Kickapoo Turnpike" was announced as the tollway's official name.
Construction The first piece of the turnpike to be constructed was the interchange with I-44, at the northern end of the route. Construction on this interchange began in January 2018. Phase 1, which stretches from the Turner Turnpike to US 62 (23rd Street) in Harrah, opened on October 13, 2020. Phase 2, which opened on January 5, 2021, connects the rest of the Turnpike to Interstate 40, linking I-40 directly to Interstate 44 on the eastern side of the Oklahoma City metro. The cost of constructing the Kickapoo Turnpike has been estimated to be more than $440 million (2018 dollars). Following months of meetings and protests, Neal McCaleb, interim director for the
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), released a statement saying that, because of public input and the work of engineering professionals, the estimated number of homes that would eventually be lost to construction had been reduced by 22 percent, from 103 houses to 80. In August 2016, a lawsuit was filed against the OTA, claiming that the agency, in issuing $900 million in bonds to be used for multiple toll road projects, was in violation of the
Oklahoma Constitution, which stipulates that laws passed may address only one subject. On December 13, 2016, the
Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in favor of the OTA, stating that the agency had properly authorized the bond issue and given "valid notice of this application." The plan was recycled into adding a I-335 designation instead of extending I-240. ==Future==