Interstate 44 in Oklahoma

Highway in Oklahoma

Not to be confused with Oklahoma State Highway 44.

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

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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|

* US 62 / US 277 / US 281 in Lawton
* I-240 / SH-3 in Oklahoma City
* I-40 in Oklahoma City
* I-235 / US 77 in Oklahoma City
* I-344 / Kilpatrick Turnpike in Oklahoma City
* SH-66 in Oklahoma City
* I-35 in Oklahoma City
* I-335 / Kickapoo Turnpike in Luther
* I-244 / SH-344 in Sapulpa
* Creek Turnpike / US 412 in Fair Oaks

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

|
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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. After leaving Tulsa, I-44 follows the Will Rogers Turnpike to the Missouri state line west of Joplin, Missouri. 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.

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

[edit]

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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 it briefly enters a wrong-way concurrency with 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

[edit]

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). A similar project was done for I-44 between Lawton and Texas state line.[10]

## Interstate 440

[edit]

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

[edit]

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County| Location| mi| km| Exit| Destinations| Notes

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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| Eastern end of US-277/US-281 concurrency
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| Toll on eastbound exit and westbound entrance
​| 61.52| 99.01| 62| Fletcher, Cyril, Sterling| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; future full interchange
Caddo
| No major junctions
Grady| ​| | | Chickasha toll plaza
​| 72| 116| 72|  US 277 / SH-19 – Cement| Future interchange
Chickasha| 80.10| 128.91| 80|  US 81 (US-277) – Duncan, Chickasha|
82.64| 133.00| 83|  US 62 (US-277) – Chickasha, Anadarko|
​| 86| 138| 86|  SH-92| Future interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
​| 93| 150| 93| Amber| Future interchange
​| | | Newcastle toll plaza
​| 98.70| 158.84| —|

SH-4 Toll south – Blanchard, Norman, H. E. Bailey Norman Spur| Cloverleaf interchange; exit numbers not displayed
​| —|
SH-4 north – Yukon, Mustang, Tuttle
McClain| Newcastle| 106.59| 171.54| 107|

US 62 west / US 277 begins – Newcastle, Blanchard| Western end of US-62 concurrency
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 east / SH-3| Eastern end of US-62 and I-240 concurrency; western end of SH-3 concurrency; I-240 exit 7B; signed as exits 115A (I-240 east), 115B (SW 59th Street), and 115C (I-240 west)
116.36| 187.26| —|
I-240 west (Airport Road)| Western end of I-240 concurrency; former SH-152
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; westbound exit and eastbound entrance is part of exit 123B.
123.26| 198.37| 123B|
SH-66 west – Warr Acres, Bethany| Western end of SH-66 concurrency
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| —|

I-344 Toll west (Kilpatrick Turnpike)| No eastbound exit

I-35 north (SH-66 east) / Sooner Road – Wichita| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
| | 139| Post Road| Proposed interchange on the existing turnpike
146.29| 235.43| 146| Luther / Jones|
Luther| | | 149|

I-335 Toll south (Kickapoo Turnpike)| Kickapoo Tpk. exits 149A-B
Lincoln| ​| | | 155|  SH-102 – Wellston| Proposed interchange on the existing turnpike
Wellston| 157.13| 252.88| 158|  SH-66 – Wellston|
Chandler| 166.38| 267.76| 166|  SH-18 – Chandler, Cushing|
​| | | 173| Davenport| Proposed interchange on the existing turnpike
Stroud| 179.12| 288.27| 179|
US 377 begins / SH-99 – Stroud, Drumright|
Creek| ​| | | Toll plaza
​| | | 188| Depew| Proposed interchange on the existing turnpike
Bristow| 196.30| 315.91| 196|  SH-48 – Bristow, Lake Keystone|
​| 203| 327| 203|  SH-66 – Kellyville| New interchange opened in December 2024 with eastbound exit and entrance and westbound exit; westbound entrance to open in summer 2025
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| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance, west end of SH-66 overlap
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–
222.60| 358.00–
358.24| 223A|

I-244 east / SH-344 north (Gilcrease Expressway) – Downtown Tulsa| Signed as exits 223A (east) and 223B (north) westbound; western terminus and exit 1A on I-244; southern terminus of SH-344
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
Rogers| Fair Oaks| 241.70| 388.98| 33A-34|

US 412 east / Creek Turnpike west – Oklahoma City, Chouteau, Siloam Springs| East end of US-412 overlap; signed as exits 33A (east) and 34 (west); no exit nos. eastbound
​| 242.40| 390.10| 35| E. Pine Street| Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit no. corresponds to Creek Turnpike; future full interchange
Verdigris| 248.24| 399.50| 248|
SH-266 west – Port of Catoosa, Claremore|
Claremore| | | 252|  SH-20 (Flint Road) – Claremore| Interchange opened on March 13, 2025
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; future full interchange
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|
​| 329.36| 530.05| |
I-44 east – Joplin, Springfield| Continuation into Missouri
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

* Concurrency terminus
* Incomplete access
* Tolled

## References

[edit]

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. Archived 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. ^ a b 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. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
5. ^ "I-235 Broadway Extension Corridor Widening and I-44 Interchange". Haskell Company. Archived 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. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
7. ^ "Tornado devastates Moore, Oklahoma". CNN. May 2013. Archived 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. Archived 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. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
11. ^ "Interstate 240 Oklahoma". Interstate-Guide. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.[self-published source]

## External links

[edit]

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/Interstate 44 in Oklahoma

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Interstate 44

Previous state:
Texas |  Oklahoma  | Next state:
Missouri

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Auxiliary routes of Interstate 44

* Oklahoma
* 244
* 344
* 4442
* Missouri
* 2441
* Business

* 1Former
* 2Unsigned

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*[km]: Kilometers
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