Interstate 44 in Oklahoma

This article is about the section of Interstate 44 in Oklahoma. For the entire route, see Interstate 44.

Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway that runs diagonally through the U.S. state of Oklahoma, spanning from the Texas state line near Wichita Falls, Texas, to the Missouri border near Joplin, Missouri. 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 diagonally northwest–southeast (and vice versa) 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 Lawton, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa metropolitan areas, I-44 is toll-free. In Oklahoma City, I-44 is also known as the Will Rogers Expressway.

Interstate 44
I-44 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ODOT and OTA
Length	328.53 mi^[1] (528.72 km)
Existed	1956–present
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
West end	I-44 / US 277 / US 281 at the Texas state line
Major intersections	I-240 / SH-3 in Oklahoma City I-40 in Oklahoma City I-235 / US 77 in Oklahoma City I-35 in Oklahoma City I-244 in Tulsa
East end	I-44 at the Missouri state line
Location
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Counties	Cotton, Comanche, Caddo, Grady, McClain, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Lincoln, Creek, Tulsa, Rogers, Mayes, Craig, Ottawa
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future Oklahoma State Highway System Interstate US State Turnpikes
← SH-43 → SH-44

I-44 is paralleled by former U.S. Highway 66 (US-66, now mostly State Highway 66, or SH-66) from Oklahoma City to the Missouri state line.

Route description

 

I-44 westbound as it enters Oklahoma near Joplin, Missouri

I-44 crosses the Red River near Burkburnett, Texas. It enters the state on a mostly north–south alignment. The route is toll-free 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 non-tolled highway 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 US-62 (exit 107) in Newcastle.

 

 

The I-44 and I-235/US-77 junction. The eastbound exits are labeled 127A for southbound I-235 toward Downtown Oklahoma City and 127B for northbound US-77 toward Edmond. However, traveling westbound, both exits are labeled 127. This junction also signifies the northern end for I-235. The exit has since been reconfigured.

From Newcastle, I-44 enters a northeast–southwest alignment and heads north through rural parts of Oklahoma City before serving as the western terminus of I-240. It then indirectly serves Will Rogers World Airport by connecting to Southwest 59th Street (which becomes Southwest 54th Street before reaching the airport) and SH-152, the Airport Road freeway. I-44 meets I-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 before reaching a junction with I-235, which also signifies the northern end of I-235, and US-77 also known as the Broadway Extension, which connects Downtown Oklahoma City to Edmond. It then meets and follows a stretch of I-35, which it runs concurrently with until the Turner Turnpike interchange, where it takes an easterly turn again.

I-44 then follows the Turner Turnpike to Sapulpa, where it becomes a non-tolled road after meeting SH-66. I-44 bypasses Downtown Tulsa; I-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 northeast Oklahoma towns, including Claremore, Vinita (where it passes under the world's former largest McDonald's), and Miami. After passing Miami, I-44 crosses the state line into Missouri, about 600 feet (180 m) south of the Kansas–Missouri–Oklahoma tripoint.

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 and Will Rogers turnpikes, with a western terminus at I-35 in Oklahoma City, the current western terminus of the Turner Turnpike.

I-44 was assigned to the H. E. Bailey Turnpike in 1982, when I-44 was assigned to the western and northern 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 non-tolled section through Lawton was the Pioneer Expressway.^[3]

Westbound I-44 northeast of Tulsa was affected by a sinkhole found on June 2, 2010. According to the local news, the sinkhole measured 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 24 feet (7.3 m) long. Traffic was only affected for a short period of time and the roadway has since been reopened.^{[citation needed]}

Southeast of Catoosa, I-44 was redesigned to have an interchange with the eastern expansion of the Creek Turnpike. A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) stretch of the original roadbed remains; it, however, is unused and is not maintained by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) or any of the surrounding cities. In 2012, the only bridge over the abandoned stretch, Pine Street, was removed and replaced with graded fill over the old turnpike.^{[citation needed]}

 

Abandoned route of the Will Rogers Turnpike near Catoosa, Oklahoma, looking southwest from Pine Street

As part of a project to widen I-235 and US-77 to accommodate the increase amount of traffic, its interchange with I-44/SH-66 was reconstructed from a cloverleaf interchange to a four-level interchange beginning in 2011. The project eliminated two cloverleaf ramps, widened the other two cloverleaves, and added two new flyover ramps. The four-level interchange was the first of its kind in Oklahoma. The project lasted 11 years and was opened on March 3, 2022.^[4] An additional $16 million is being provided to reconstruct the I-44 to US-77 ramp and provide a direct connection to North Lincoln Boulevard. The project is expected to be started in 2023.^{[5][6][needs update]}

I-44 is also known for being crossed by the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado on May 3, 1999, during the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak, and by the 2013 Moore tornado on May 20, 2013, during the tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013.^[7]

On February 14, 2021, icy conditions caused a multi-vehicle pileup near Oklahoma City. Both eastbound and westbound lanes were shut down because of the incident.^[8]

The H. E. Bailey Turnpike section of I-44 was converted to cashless tolling via PlatePay and PikePass in mid-2022. This was done to remove the need for toll plazas, which were seen as inefficient and prone to traffic accidents.^[9] The project, along with a project to rehabilitate the pavement between Lawton to the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, is being done in order to raise the speed limit from 75 to 80 mph (121 to 129 km/h).^[10]

Interstate 440

Interstate 440
Location	Oklahoma City

Interstate 440 (I-440) was the designation given to a stretch of Interstate Highway from I-240 to US-66 in Oklahoma City. It was a part of the original Grand Boulevard that had been built in compliance with Interstate Highway standards. In 1975, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved renumbering I-440 as I-240 to create a single numeric designation for the Oklahoma City loop. In 1982, as part of Oklahoma's "Diamond Jubilee", I-44's western terminus was moved from the I-35/I-44 junction near Edmond, to the Texas state line via the Belle Isle Freeway (part of the recently designated I-240 connecting the former I-440 with I-35); I-240, the H. E. Bailey Turnpike; and the turnpike connector road on the eastern edge of Lawton.^[11]

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Cotton	Red River	0.00	0.00		I-44 west / US 277 south / US 281 south – Burkburnett, Wichita Falls	Continuation into Texas
				President George W. Bush Bridge
	​	1.12	1.80	1	SH-36 – Grandfield
	​	5.29	8.51	5	US 277 / US 281 north / US 70 – Randlett     H.E. Bailey Turnpike begins	Eastern end of US-277/US-281 concurrency; western end of H.E. Bailey Turnpike
	Walters	19.78	31.83	20	SH-5 / US 277 / US 281 – Walters	Walters toll plaza is located at this interchange
Comanche	​	29.83	48.01	30	SH-36 west / US 277 south / US 281 south – Geronimo, Faxon, Frederick	Western end of US-277/US-281 concurrency
	Lawton	33.19	53.41	33	US 281 Bus. north (11th Street)
		36.47	58.69	36A	SH-7 east (Lee Boulevard) – Duncan	Signed as exits 36A (east) and 36B (west) westbound
		37.48	60.32	37	Gore Boulevard
		38.50	61.96	39B	US 281 Bus. south – Lawton	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		38.71	62.30	39A	Cache Road – Lawton Business District	Signed as exit 38 eastbound
		39.77	64.00	40	US 62 west (Rogers Lane) – Cache, Altus	Split into exits 40A (east) and 40B (west); exit 40A signed as exit 40C westbound; western end of US-62 concurrency
		41.35	66.55	41	Fort Sill Key Gate	Department of Defense ID required
	​	45.02	72.45	45	SH-49 – Carnegie, Medicine Park
	​	46.39	74.66	46	US 62 east / US 277 / US 281 north – Elgin, Apache, Anadarko	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; eastern end of US-62/US-277/US-281 concurrency
	Elgin	52.78	84.94	53	US 277 – Fletcher, Elgin, Sterling
	​	61.52	99.01	62	Fletcher, Cyril, Sterling	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Caddo	No major junctions
Grady	​			Chickasha toll plaza
	Chickasha	80.10	128.91	80	US 81 (US-277) – Duncan, Chickasha
		82.64	133.00	83	US 62 (US-277) – Chickasha, Anadarko
	​			Newcastle toll plaza
	​	98.70	158.84	99A	H. E. Bailey Norman Spur – Blanchard, Norman	Cloverleaf interchange; exit numbers not displayed
	​			99B	SH-4 – Yukon, Mustang, Tuttle
McClain	Newcastle	106.59	171.54	107	US 62 west / US 277 begins – Newcastle, Blanchard     H.E. Bailey Turnpike ends	Western end of US-62 concurrency; eastern end of H.E. Bailey Turnpike
		107.37	172.80	108	SH-37 west – Minco, Tuttle	Western end of SH-37 concurrency
		107.89	173.63	108A	Frontage Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Cleveland	Oklahoma City	109.33	175.95	109	SW 149th Street
		110.37	177.62	110	SH-37 east (SW 134th Street) – Moore	Eastern end of SH-37 concurrency
		111.43	179.33	111	SW 119th Street
		112.49	181.04	112	SW 104th Street
Oklahoma		113.51	182.68	113	SW 89th Street
		114.52	184.30	114	SW 74th Street
		114.84	184.82	115	I-240 / US 62 / SH-3 east – Dallas, Fort Smith	Eastern end of US-62 concurrency; western end of SH-3 concurrency; left exit & no exit number westbound; I-240 exit 1A
		115.59	186.02	116A	SW 59th Street
		116.36	187.26	116B	SH-152 west (Airport Road)
		116.89	188.12	117A	SW 44th Street	Signed as exit 117B westbound
		117.74	189.48	118	SW 29th Street
		118.77	191.14	119	SW 15th Street
		119.55	192.40	120	I-40 – Amarillo, Fort Smith	Signed as exits 120A (west) and 120B (east); I-40 exits 147A-B
		120.84	194.47	121	NW 10th Street – Fair Park	Signed as exits 121A (east) and 121B (west)
		121.87	196.13	122	NW 23rd Street
		122.90	197.79	123A	NW 36th Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		123.16	198.21	—	SH-3 west / SH-74 north (Lake Hefner Parkway)	Eastern end of SH-3 concurrency; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		123.26	198.37	123B	SH-66 west – Warr Acres, Bethany	Western end of SH-66 concurrency; no westbound exit
		123.66	199.01	124	N. May Avenue	No westbound entrance
		124.75	200.77	125A	N. Penn Avenue	Full name is "Pennsylvania"
		125.38	201.78	125C	Northwest Expressway	No eastbound exit
		125.86	202.55	125B	Classen Boulevard	No westbound entrance
		126.16– 126.38	203.03– 203.39	126	Western Avenue	Westbound exits onto NW Grand Blvd
		127.11	204.56	127A	I-235 / US 77 south – Oklahoma City, Downtown
		127.11	204.56	127B	US 77 north – Edmond	Also includes unnumbered exit to NW 63rd Street
		127.66	205.45	128A	Lincoln Boulevard  – State Capitol
		128.36	206.58	128B	Kelley Avenue
		129.43	208.30	129	M.L. King Avenue
		130.39	209.84	130	I-35 south to I-40 – Oklahoma City, Dallas	Western end of I-35 concurrency; I-35 exit 133; no exit number westbound
		131.18	211.11	134	Wilshire Boulevard	Exit numbers follow I-35
		132.22	212.79	135	Britton Road
		133.35	214.61	136	Hefner Road
		143.33	230.67	137	NE 122nd Street
		134.92	217.13	—	I-35 north (SH-66 east)	Eastern end of I-35/SH-66 concurrency; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; I-35 exit 138A
		135.12	217.45	—	Kilpatrick Turnpike west	No eastbound exit
				—	I-35 north (SH-66 east) / Sooner Road – Wichita     Turner Turnpike begins	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of Turner Turnpike
		146.29	235.43	146	Luther / Jones
	Luther			149	Kickapoo Turnpike south	Kickapoo Tpk. exits 149A-B
Lincoln	Wellston	157.13	252.88	158	SH-66 – Wellston
	Chandler	166.38	267.76	166	SH-18 – Chandler, Cushing
	Stroud	179.12	288.27	179	US 377 begins / SH-99 – Stroud, Drumright
Creek	​			Toll plaza
	Bristow	196.30	315.91	196	SH-48 – Bristow, Lake Keystone
	​	203	327	203	SH-66 – Kellyville	Proposed interchange on the existing turnpike
	Sapulpa	210.61	338.94	211	SH-33 / SH-66 – Drumright, Kellyville
		215.35	346.57	215	SH-97 – Sapulpa, Sand Springs
		216.99	349.21	218A	SH-66 – Sapulpa	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		217.36	349.81	218B	Creek Turnpike east – Joplin, Jenks, Broken Arrow	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Creek–Tulsa county line		221.60	356.63	221	SH-66 west – Bristow, Sapulpa     Turner Turnpike ends	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance, west end of SH-66 overlap; eastern end of Turner Turnpike
Tulsa		221.93	357.16	222A	49th West Avenue
		222.08	357.40	222B	55th Place	Eastbound exit only
				222C	56th Street	Westbound exit only
		222.45	358.00	223A	I-244 east (M. L. King Memorial Expressway) – Downtown Tulsa	Western terminus of I-244; I-244 exit 1A
		222.60	358.24	223B	51st Street	Access via Gilcrease Expressway; (eastbound exit via I-244 exit 1B)
	Tulsa	223.02	358.92	223C	33rd West Avenue
		224.02	360.53	224	Union Avenue	C/D lanes provide access to US-75 and Elwood Ave.
		224.30	360.98		US 75 – Okmulgee, Bartlesville	Cloverleaf interchange; accessible to and from C/D lanes
		224.76	361.72	225	Elwood Avenue	Eastbound access is part of exit 224 accessible from C/D lanes originating at Union Ave. exit
		225.54	362.97	226A	Riverside Drive	Eastbound access via exit 226
		226.03	363.76	226B	Peoria Avenue	Signed as exit 226 eastbound
		227.03	365.37	227	Lewis Avenue
		228.03	366.98	228	E. 51st Street / Harvard Avenue
		229.11	368.72	229	Yale Avenue
		230.06	370.25	230	E. 41st Street / Sheridan Road
		231.02	371.79	231	US 64 / SH-51 to US 169 – Muskogee, Broken Arrow, Sand Springs
		231.58	372.69	232	E. 31st Street / Memorial Drive	Eastbound exit is part of exit 231
		233.11	375.15	233	E. 21st Street	Signed as exit 233B westbound
		233.73	376.15	234A	US 169 – Owasso, Broken Arrow	No eastbound exit to US-169 south
		234.39	377.21	234B	Garnett Road	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		234.63	377.60	235	E. 11th Street	No westbound entrance
		235.72	379.35	236	129th East Avenue
		236.15	380.05	236B	I-244 / US 412 west – Sand Springs, Enid	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; western end of US-412 concurrency; eastern terminus of I-244
Tulsa–Rogers county line	Tulsa–Catoosa line	237.78	382.67	238	161st East Avenue
		239.79	385.90	240	SH-167 north (193rd East Avenue)
	Catoosa	240.25	386.64	241	SH-66 east – Claremore, Catoosa	No eastbound entrance; east end of SH-66 overlap; no exit number westbound
	Tulsa–Fair Oaks line	241.43	388.54	—	US 412 east – Chouteau, Siloam Springs	East end of US-412 overlap; left entrances; no westbound exit; former SH-33 east
Rogers	Fair Oaks	241.70	388.98	34	Creek Turnpike west – Oklahoma City     Will Rogers Turnpike begins	Left exit and entrances; no eastbound exit; exit number based on a continuation of Creek Tpk. mileposts
	​	242.40	390.10	35	E. Pine Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit number based on a continuation of Creek Tpk. mileposts
	Verdigris	248.24	399.50	248	SH-266 west – Port of Catoosa, Claremore
	Claremore			252	SH-20 – Claremore (Flint Road)	New interchange to be built by OTA with cashless tolling
		254.17	409.05	255	SH-20 – Pryor, Claremore
	Mayes	269.64	433.94	269	SH-28 – Chelsea, South Grand Lake, Adair	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Craig	Big Cabin	282.61	454.82	283	US 69 – Big Cabin
	​			Toll plaza
	Vinita			Service plaza
	​	289.27	465.53	289	US 60 (US-69) to SH-66 – Vinita
Ottawa	​	301.94	485.93	302	US 59 / US 60 (US-69) – Fairland, Grove, Afton
	Miami	313.19	504.03	313	SH-10 – Miami
Oklahoma–Missouri line		329.36	530.05		I-44 east – Joplin	Continuation into Missouri; eastern end of Will Rogers Turnpike
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access        Tolled

References

1. Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
2. "I-240 Section Changing to I-44". The Daily Oklahoman. October 9, 1982. OCLC 26181551.^{[page needed]}
3. Diversified Map Co. Highway Map of Oklahoma (Map) (1966 ed.). Skelly Oil Company. § 11C.
4. Ogle, Abigail (March 3, 2022). "Oklahoma opens state's first four-level highway". KOCO-TV. from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
5. "I-235 Broadway Extension Corridor Widening and I-44 Interchange". Haskell Company. from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
6. McLoud, Don (March 10, 2022). "Oklahoma's First Four-Level Interchange Completed". Equipment World. from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
7. "Tornado devastates Moore, Oklahoma". CNN. May 2013. from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
8. Brackett, Ron (February 15, 2021). "Fiery Pileup Shuts I-44 in OKC as Winter Storm Uri Makes Travel Hazardous; Knocks Out Power to Tens of Thousands". The Weather Channel. from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
9. Ray, Mike W. (August 2, 2022). "I-44/HEB 'pike completely cashless tolling now". Southwest Ledger. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
10. Ray, Mike W. (August 2, 2022). "H.E. Bailey project could pave way for higher speed limits". Southwest Ledger. from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
11. "Interstate 240 Oklahoma". Interstate-Guide. from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.^{[self-published source]}

External links

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Interstate 44
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