Gilcrease Expressway
The Gilcrease Expressway is a 10.5-mile-long (16.9 km) highway in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the county's long-term plan to complete an outer highway loop around Tulsa's central business district. The highway will connect Interstate 44 (I-44) in West Tulsa to I-244 near the Tulsa International Airport.
| Gilcrease Expressway | |
|---|---|
Gilcrease Expressway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by ODOT | |
| Length | 10.5 mi[1] (16.9 km) |
| Component highways |  SH-11 (US-75 to I-244) |
| Major junctions | |
| CCW end |  .svg.png.webp){kind=small} I-44 / I-244 in Tulsa |
   US 64 / US 412 / SH-51 near Sand Springs (future)L.L. Tisdale Parkway in Tulsa  US 75 / SH-11 in Tulsa | |
| CW end | I-244 / US 412 in Tulsa |
| Highway system | |
Oklahoma State Highway System
| |
Route description
Currently, the portion of freeway open to traffic is the section between North 41st West Avenue and Interstate 244. From US-75 to I-244/US-412, the Gilcrease carries the easternmost part of State Highway 11. The currently existing freeway serves Tulsa International Airport and surrounding areas.
Additionally, the Gilcrease Expressway Extension has been constructed. It is a one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of two-lane road. The extension currently runs from W. 51st St. to W. 41st St. South at the 5600 block in West Tulsa. The Extension connects the community of Berryhill and the recent developments along W. 41st St. South to Interstate 44.
Future
The next portion of the Gilcrease Expressway to be constructed is the segment between North 41st W Ave. and Edison Street in West Tulsa. Although, the section between 41st W Ave and Edison Street is named 31st st N, 53rd West Avenue, Newton Street and 57th West Avenue.[2]
Many homes have been removed along S. 57th West Ave. between W. 26th St. and W. 21st St. Plans include construction of a bridge over the Arkansas River, connecting Sand Springs and Berryhill.
$88 million of a $918.7 million tax increase will be put forward to the expressway's extension.[3]
Proposed turnpike
In 2010, the Oklahoma Legislature authorized the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to study the construction of a turnpike to complete the Gilcrease Expressway. The cost of the turnpike was estimated at $373 million for the final 6.7 miles (10.8 km) of the expressway.[4]
On October 29, 2015, Governor Mary Fallin announced Driving Forward, a $892 million turnpike package. A five-mile (8.0 km) tolled extension of the Gilcrease Expressway was included in the package.[5] The project is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2016.[6]
On June 4, 2018, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved the designation Oklahoma State Highway 344 for the highway, to take effect upon completion of construction.[7]
Exit list
Mile markers reset between gap in route. The entire route is in Tulsa County. All exits are unnumbered.
| Location | mi[1][8] | km | Destinations | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakhurst | 0.00 | 0.00 |  I-44 / SH-66 – Joplin, Sapulpa, Oklahoma City | Counterclockwise terminus; proposed south end of tolled section;[5] expressway continues as I-44/SH-66 east | |||
| 0.7 | 1.1 | 51st Street | At-grade intersection; temporary north end of limited-access section; proposed interchange[5] | ||||
| 1.9 | 3.1 | 41st Street South | At-grade intersection; proposed interchange;[5] temporary north end of counterclockwise section | ||||
| | 21st Street South | Proposed interchange[5] | |||||
| | US 64 / US 412 / SH-51 | Proposed north end of tollway[5] | |||||
| | Edison Street | Temporary north end of proposed counterclockwise extension;[5] road to continue north into Tulsa as 57th West Avenue | |||||
| Sections linked by 57th West Avenue, Newton Street, 53rd West Avenue, and 31st Street North | |||||||
| Tulsa | 0.0 | 0.0 | 41st West Avenue | Temporary west end of clockwise section; road continues west as 31st Street North | |||
| 2.2 | 3.5 | L.L. Tisdale Parkway – Downtown Tulsa, Gilcrease Museum | At-grade intersection; west end of limited-access section | ||||
| 3.5 | 5.6 | Peoria Avenue / Mohawk Boulevard | |||||
| 4.4 | 7.1 | Lewis Avenue | |||||
| 5.0 | 8.0 | SH-11 west / US 75 – Okmulgee, Downtown Tulsa, Bartlesville | Western end of SH-11 concurrency | ||||
| 5.6 | 9.0 | Harvard Avenue | |||||
| 6.5 | 10.5 | Yale Avenue | |||||
| 7.5 | 12.1 | Apache Street / Sheridan Road – Tulsa Zoo | Signed solely as Sheridan Rd. westbound | ||||
| 8.5 | 13.7 | Virgin Street – Airport Terminal | Signed solely as Airport Terminal eastbound | ||||
| 9.1 | 14.6 | Memorial Drive Pine Street | Eastbound signage Westbound signage | ||||
| 9.9– 10.5 | 15.9– 16.9 |  SH-11 ends / I-244 / US 412 to US 169 – Joplin, Downtown | Clockwise terminus of Gilcrease Expwy.; eastern end of SH-11 concurrency; eastern terminus of SH-11 | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||||
References
- Google (August 30, 2013). "Gilcrease Expressway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- Brian Barber (December 23, 2008). "No fanfare as Gilcrease Expressway opens 2.2 miles to traffic". Tulsa World.
- "Largest Tax Hike in Tulsa History: $88,000,000.00 for Gilcrease Expressway". Tulsa Beacon. August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- Gavin Off (May 20, 2010). "OTA to seek bids on Gilcrease extension". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
- "Gilcrease Expressway, I-44 North to Edison Street" (PDF). Driving Forward OK. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. February 15, 2018. pp. 1–2. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- "Driving Forward OK". Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
- http://www.odot.org/tcomm/minutes18/tc_minutes-201806.pdf
- "Overview of Gilcrease Expwy. (counterclockwise end)". Google Maps. Google, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2018.