Interstate 44 in Oklahoma

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Interstate 44
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by ODOT
Length: 328.53 mi[1] (528.72 km)
Formed: 1956
West end: I-44 near Randlett
Major
junctions:		 I-240 in Oklahoma City
I-40 in Oklahoma City
I-235 in Oklahoma City
I-35 in Oklahoma City
East end: I-44 near Miami
Oklahoma State Highways
< SH-43 SH-44 >

Interstate 44 runs diagonally through the U.S. state of Oklahoma, spanning from the Texas state line near Wichita Falls to the Missouri border near Joplin. It connects three of Oklahoma's largest cities, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Lawton. Most of I-44 in Oklahoma is a toll road. In southwestern Oklahoma, I-44 is the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and follows a north-south direction. From Oklahoma City to Tulsa, I-44 follows the Turner Turnpike As I-44 leaves Tulsa it becomes the Will Rogers Turnpike to the Missouri border. In the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas, I-44 is toll-free.

I-44 is paralleled by former US-66 (now mostly SH-66) from Oklahoma City to the Missouri state line.

Contents

[edit] Route description

Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs

I-44 crosses the Red River near Burkburnett, Texas. It is a freeway until Exit 5, which is the last free exit before the start of the southern section of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike. At Exit 30, the tolls end and I-44 becomes a freeway again through Lawton and Fort Sill until Exit 46. The northern section of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike carries I-44 north, serving Chickasha, before ending at U.S. Highway 62 (Exit 107) in Newcastle.

From Newcastle, I-44 heads north through rural parts of Oklahoma City before serving as the western terminus of Interstate 240. It then indirectly serves Will Rogers World Airport by connecting to S.W. 59th St. (which becomes S.W. 54th St before reaching the airport) and SH-152, the Airport Road freeway. I-44 meets Interstate 40 west of downtown, at an interchange sometimes referred to as the Amarillo Junction. I-44 then passes west of the state fairgrounds and continues north to provide access to Bethany and Warr Acres. It then turns more eastbound to meet Interstate 35, which it overlaps to the Turner Turnpike interchange.

I-44 then follows the Turner Turnpike to Sapulpa, where it becomes a freeway after meeting the Creek Turnpike. I-44 bypasses downtown Tulsa; Interstate 244 serves the downtown areas. After meeting the Creek Turnpike again on the east side of the city, I-44 becomes a turnpike once again, gaining the Will Rogers Turnpike designation.

The Will Rogers Turnpike section serves many northwest Oklahoma towns, including Claremore, Vinita (where it passes under the world's largest McDonald's) and Miami. After passing Miami, I-44 crosses the state line into Missouri.

[edit] History

I-44 was designated through Oklahoma to replace the section of US-66 running from Oklahoma City to Joplin, Missouri. I-44 covered the already-existing Turner Turnpike and Will Rogers Turnpike, with an eastern terminus at I-35 in Oklahoma City, the current eastern terminus of the Turner Turnpike.

I-44 was assigned to the H.E. Bailey Turnpike in 1982, when I-44 was assigned to the west and north legs of I-240 (then a semi-beltway around Oklahoma City) and the H.E. Bailey Turnpike as part of Oklahoma's "Diamond Jubilee" celebrations.[2] Before I-44 was assigned to it, the freeway connector to the north end of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike was named the Will Rogers Expressway.[3] The freeway section through Lawton was the Pioneer Expressway.[3]

[edit] Exit list

This section contains a table that is missing mileposts for one or more junctions. Please help by adding the missing mileposts.
County Location Mile # Destinations Notes
Cotton 1 SH-36 – Grandfield
5 US-70 (US-277 north/US-281 north) – Randlett East end of US-277/US-281 overlap
Walters 20 SH-5 (US-277/US-281) – Frederick, Walters Toll plaza is located at this interchange
Comanche 30 SH-36 west (US-277 south/US-281 south) – Geronimo, Faxon, Frederick West end of US-277/US-281 overlap
Lawton 33 US 281 Bus. north (11th Street)
36A SH-7 east (Lee Boulevard) – Duncan Signed as exits 36A (east) and 36B (west) westbound
37 Gore Boulevard
39B US 281 Bus. south – Lawton Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
39A Cache Road – Lawton Business District Former US-62 west
40A US-62 west (Rogers Lane) – Cache, Altus Signed as exits 40A (east) and 40B (west) westbound
Fort Sill
40C Gate 2
41 Fort Sill Key Gate
45 SH-49 – Carnegie, Medicine Park
46 US-62 east / US-277 north / US-281 north – Elgin, Apache, Anadarko Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; east end of US-62/US-277/US-281 overlap
53 US-277 – Fletcher, Elgin, Sterling
62 Fletcher, Cyril, Sterling
Grady Toll plaza
Chickasha 80 US-81 (US-277) – Duncan, Chickasha
83 US-62 (US-277) – Chickasha, Anadarko
Toll plaza
H. E. Bailey Spur – Blanchard, Norman
SH-4 – Yukon, Mustang, Tuttle
McClain Newcastle 107 US-62 west / US-277 south – Newcastle, Blanchard West end of US-62 overlap
108 SH-37 west – Minco, Tuttle West end of SH-37 overlap
108A Frontage Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Cleveland Oklahoma City 109 Southwest 149th Street
110 SH-37 east (Southwest 134th Street) – Moore East end of SH-37 overlap
111 Southwest 119th Street
112 Southwest 104th Street
Oklahoma 113 Southwest 89th Street
114 Southwest 74th Street
115 I-240 east / US-62 east / SH-3 east – Dallas, Fort Smith East end of US-62 overlap; west end of SH-3 overlap; no exit number westbound
116A Southwest 59th Street
116B SH-152 west (Airport Road)
117A Southwest 44th Street Signed as exit 117B westbound
118 Southwest 29th Street Former SH-152
119 Southwest 15th Street
120 I-40 – Amarillo, Fort Smith Signed as exits 120A (west) and 120B (east)
121 Northwest 10th Street – Fair Park Signed as exits 121A (east) and 121B (west)
122 Northwest 23rd Street
123A Northwest 36th Street Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
SH-3 west / SH-74 north (Grand Boulevard) East end of SH-3 overlap
123B SH-66 west – Warr Acres, Bethany West end of SH-66 overlap
124 North May Avenue
125A North Penn Avenue
125B Classen Boulevard
125C SH-3A (Northwest Expressway) Eastbound exit is via exit 125A
126 Western Avenue
127 I-235 / US-77 (Broadway Extension) – Edmond
128A Lincoln Boulevard – State Capitol
128B Kelley Avenue
129 M.L. King Avenue
130 I-35 west to I-40 – Oklahoma City, Dallas West end of I-35 overlap; no exit number westbound
134 Wilshire Boulevard
135 Britton Road
136 Hefner Road
137 Northeast 122nd Street
I-35 north / SH-66 east – Tulsa, Wichita East end of I-35/SH-66 overlap
138B Kilpatrick Turnpike No exit number westbound
Sooner Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Lincoln Wellston 158 SH-66 – Wellston
Chandler 166 SH-18 – Chandler, Cushing
Stroud 179 SH-99 (US-377) – Stroud, Drumright
Creek Toll plaza
Bristow 196 SH-48 (SH-66) – Bristow, Lake Keystone
211 SH-33 – Drumright, Kellyville
Sapulpa 215 SH-97 – Sapulpa, Sand Springs
218 Creek Turnpike east Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Tulsa 221A 57th West Avenue Westbound exit only
221B SH-66 west – Bristow, Sapulpa Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; west end of SH-66 overlap
222A 49th West Avenue
222C 56th Street Westbound exit only
222B 55th Place Eastbound exit only
223A I-244 east – Downtown Tulsa
223B 51st Street (via Gilcrease Expressway) Signed as exit 1B eastbound
Tulsa 223C 33rd West Avenue
224 Union Avenue
224 US-75 – Okmulgee, Bartlesville
225 Elwood Avenue Eastbound exit is part of exit 224
226A Riverside Drive
226B Peoria Avenue
227 Lewis Avenue
228 Harvard Avenue
229 Yale Avenue – Saint Francis Hospital
230 41st Street, Sheridan Road
231 US-64 / SH-51 – Muskogee, Broken Arrow, Sand Springs
232 East 31st Street, Memorial Drive Eastbound exit is part of exit 231
233 East 21st Street Signed as exit 233B westbound
234A US-169 – Owasso, Broken Arrow No eastbound exit to US-169 south
234B Garnett Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
235 East 11th Street
236 129th East Avenue
236B I-244 west / US-412 west – Sand Springs, Enid Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; west end of US-412 overlap
Rogers 238 161st East Avenue
240 SH-167 north (193rd East Avenue)
241 SH-66 east – Claremore, Catoosa No eastbound entrance; east end of SH-66 overlap; no exit number westbound
33A US-412 east – Chouteau, Siloam Springs East end of US-412 overlap; no exit number eastbound
Creek Turnpike west – Oklahoma City
35 East Pine Street Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
248 SH-266 west – Port of Catoosa, Claremore
255 SH-20 – Pryor, Claremore
Mayes 269 SH-28 – Chelsea, South Grand Lake, Adair Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Craig Big Cabin 283 US-69 – Big Cabin
Toll plaza
Vinita 289 US-60 (US-69) to SH-66 – Vinita
Ottawa 302 US-59 / US-60 (US-69) – Fairland, Grove, Afton
Miami 313 SH-10 – Miami

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stuve, Eric. Interstate Highways at OKHighways.com. OKHighways. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  2. ^ "I-240 Section Changing to I-44", The Daily Oklahoman, 1982-10-09. 
  3. ^ a b Skelly Oil Company. Highway Map of Oklahoma [map], 1966 edition. Cartography by Diversified Map Co. Section 11C.


Interstate 44
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Texas		 Oklahoma Next state:
Missouri