 In a letter sent to OTA in March 1990, USACE identified issues with the Creek Turnpike project, such as modifications to Polecat Creek's channel, impacts on the Arkansas River floodplain and levee system near Jenks, and loss of 14.8 acres (6.0 ha) of wetlands. In two other letters sent in May 1990, USACE requested alterations to the project, detailing further concerns about destruction of a unique type of wetland near the turnpike's planned intersection with Yale Avenue, OTA's plan to temporarily drain Mill Creek Bridge Pond, and emergency access to homes only accessible by crossing the pond on a wooden bridge. USACE warned that, should the changes the corps requested not be made, the turnpike plans may violate federal law, which would result in USACE withholding the necessary permits. The corps also required "absolute assurance" that new wetlands constructed as part of the project's mitigation efforts would not be built on land that was formerly the site of a landfill. On March 29, USACE held a public hearing as part of the permit process. The hearing had around 500 attendees, with over fifty of them giving five-minute speeches against the turnpike. One speaker compared the highway's environmental impact to that of the wreck of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez. No citizens spoke out in favor of the project.
