Interstate 35 in Oklahoma

Interstate 35 (I-35) in the U.S. state of Oklahoma runs from the Red River at the Texas border to the Kansas line near Braman, for a length of 236 miles[1] (372 km). I-35 has one spur route in the state, Interstate 235 in the inner city of Oklahoma City.

Interstate 35
I-35 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length235.96 mi (379.74 km)
Major junctions
South end I-35 / US 77 at the Texas State Line
 
North end I-35 / Kansas Turnpike at the Kansas State Line
Location
CountiesLove, Carter, Murray, Garvin, McClain, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Logan, Payne, Noble, Kay
Highway system
Oklahoma State Highway System
SH-34 SH-35

Route description

The Oklahoma welcome sign entering the state from Kansas

Interstate 35 enters Oklahoma with U.S. Highway 77 on a bridge over the Red River in Love County, south of Thackerville. US-77 splits off at Exit 1, but parallels the interstate for its entire length in Oklahoma.[2] I-35 maintains a near-due northsouth course through Love and Carter Cos. I-35 provides four exits to Ardmore. After leaving Ardmore, it has a brief concurrency with State Highway 53 and enters Murray County and the Arbuckle Mountains.[2] I-35 then passes through Garvin County and the county seat of Pauls Valley. North of exit 79, I-35 enters McClain County.[2] There, it passes through Purcell and Goldsby.

State Highway 9 joins the interstate crossing over the South Canadian River into Cleveland County, after which it splits off again. It then serves as a major urban interstate in Norman and Moore. Between Norman and Moore, US-77 joins the interstate again. It then enters Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County near milepost 120.[2] Near downtown, I-35 splits off the mainline (which becomes Interstate 235/US-77) and runs concurrent with Interstate 40 for a mile before splitting off to the north again.[2] Interstate 44 then joins I-35 between mileposts 133 and 137.[2] In Edmond US-77 joins the interstate yet again.

Interstate 35 in Goldsby, Oklahoma at milemarker 102.

At milepost 146, I-35 enters Logan County. It serves Guthrie at Exit 153, where US-77 splits off, and at Exit 157.[2] The interstate then crosses the Cimarron River into Payne County and enters Noble County shortly thereafter. It provides two exits to Perry and serves as the western terminus of the Cimarron Turnpike. After providing access to Tonkawa and Blackwell in Kay County, it crosses into Kansas, becoming the Kansas Turnpike.

History

Some sections of I-35 in Oklahoma City were already built in 1953, before the Interstate system was created.[3] Following the passage of the Federal Highway Act of 1956 that created the Interstate Highway System, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation approved the location of the future interstate north of Oklahoma City to the Kansas state line on a route previously surveyed by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority for a proposed toll road. As a free road, the first five miles (8 km) of that section of I-35 were opened to traffic in 1958 from US-177 near Braman north to the Kansas border where it continued as the Kansas Turnpike. This was followed by completion of the entire route from Oklahoma City northward to Braman by 1963 in several phases including Edmond to Guthrie in 1960, Guthrie to Perry in 1961, Perry to Blackwell in 1962 and Blackwell to Braman in early 1963.

To the south of Oklahoma City, I-35 was completed through Norman south to Purcell in June 1959. In Moore, it opened in two parts: the northern half, connecting Moore to Oklahoma City, opened in January 1960. The southern half, linking it to Norman, was opened to traffic in June 1967.[4] The Moore–Norman segment was originally a four-lane section of US-77 built in 1951 that did not meet full Interstate Highway standards and included several at-grade intersections within the City of Moore including some with traffic signals and upgraded accordingly to include grade separations to bring up to full Interstate Highway standards and frontage roads to serve local traffic needs. Also not up to full Interstate Highway standards prior to 1967 was a section in the vicinity of Lindsey Street in the southern portion of Norman where another at-grade intersection still existed which dated back to the original highway's construction in the early 1950s—this was also brought up to full Interstate Highway standards in 1967 with the construction of interchanges on I-35 at Lindsey and a short distance to the south for the future SH-9 bypass that would be built around the south side of Norman in the early 1970s.

Further south, I-35 was completed from Marietta south to the Red River bridge in 1963, at which point a nearly 90-mile (140 km) gap of uncompleted interstate would exist between Purcell and Marietta until the late 1960s with traffic continuing to be routed over paralleling US-77. This was in large part due to efforts of the towns of Wynnewood, Paoli, and Wayne, fighting to keep I-35 as close as possible to US-77. This was successful due to a threat from Governor Henry Bellmon to build a toll road rather than I-35, and legislation preventing state funds for the interstate from being spent if it were more than 1-mile (1.6 km) from the U.S. route.[5]

The uncompleted gap of I-35 in Southern Oklahoma was narrowed in 1967 and 1968 when two sections were completed from US-70/SH-199 in Ardmore south to SH-32 in Marietta. In 1969, the section of interstate bypassing Ardmore was completed north from US-70 two miles (3 km) to SH-142 and the following year, 1970, brought the completion of I-35 from SH-7 near Davis south to Ardmore, at long last bypassing the winding section of US-77 through the Arbuckle Mountains. This stretch through the Arbuckles was particularly expensive and difficult to construct, taking almost two years and requiring the blasting and removal of 4 million cubic yards of rock.[6] A few months later in January, 1971, I-35 was finally completed across the state of Oklahoma, when the remaining portions of the interstate from Purcell to SH-7 near Davis were opened to traffic.[3]

Future

In 2008, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation announced plans to widen 2 miles (3.2 km) of Interstate 35 through Norman, from the Main Street interchange to the McCall Bridge over the South Canadian River (Exit 109).[7] Controversy surrounding the project arose when early drafts eliminated the SH-74A/Lindsey Street interchange (Exit 108B), due to its proximity to the State Highway 9 interchange (Exit 108A). A public meeting held in Norman attracted 300 attendees, many bearing "Don't Close Lindsey" signs. Attendees cited the impact on local businesses and those attending University of Oklahoma football games as grounds for opposing the closure of the interchange. A former OU economics professor estimated the interchange's closure would cost Norman $100 million over the course of fifteen years.[8]

At the meeting, four proposals were displayed, only one of which displayed no access from Lindsey Street. A second proposal would preserve access to Lindsey Street but require the seizure of a newly built Chevrolet dealership near the interchange. The third proposal would instead send the ramps around the dealership, and the fourth, the highest-cost alternate, would use bridges to prevent Lindsey Street and SH-9 traffic from conflicting. ODOT said their design standards did not require consideration of OU football traffic, because they only considered the 30th highest traffic percentile. One ODOT engineer was quoted as saying, "Otherwise, we'd have to 10-lane everything in Norman."[8] In early 2011, a solution was unveiled that would retain access to Lindsey St. and reconstruct the interchange without displacing the dealership.[9]

In 2014, ODOT completed reconstruction of the Main St. interchange as a Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) and widening of I-35 to just south of Main St. In early 2015, ODOT began a two-year, $71 million project to reconstruct the Lindsey St. interchange as a SPUI, reconstruct the SH-9 interchange and complete widening of I-35 to six lanes to the South Canadian River.[10]

ODOT plans to reconstruct I-35/I-240 interchange in southeast Oklahoma City in several phases, the first beginning in 2016.[11]

Naming

  • Through the Arbuckle Mountains, I-35 is designated as the Honey Creek Pass.
  • The bridge over the South Canadian River is the S.K. McCall Memorial Bridge.
  • In Moore, I-35 is the Helen Cole Memorial Highway.
  • In Edmond, I-35 is the Shannon Miller Parkway.

Exit list

CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
LoveRed River0.000.00 I-35 / US 77 south Fort WorthContinuation into Texas
Thackerville1.111.791 US 77 northNorthern end of US-77 concurrency
3.215.173Winstar Boulevard
5.238.425 SH-153 Thackerville
Marietta15.3024.6215 SH-32 Marietta, Ryan
21.4134.4621Oswalt Road
LoveCarter
county line
Overbrook24.4539.3524 SH-77S (western spur) Lake Murray State Park
CarterArdmore29.2046.9929 US 70 east Madill, ArdmoreSouthern end of US-70 concurrency
31.6750.9731 US 70 west Ardmore, Waurika, Lone GroveNorthern end of US-70 concurrency; signed as exits 31A (east) and 31B (west)
32.7152.643212th Street
33.7254.2733 SH-142 Ardmore
Springer40.8065.6640 SH-53 east Springer, Gene AutrySouthern end of SH-53 concurrency
42.8568.9642 SH-53 west ComancheNorthern end of SH-53 concurrency
MurrayDavis47.5676.5447 US 77 Turner Falls Area
51.3282.5951
55.8389.8555 SH-7 Davis, Duncan, Sulphur
Garvin60.6197.5460Ruppe Road
Wynnewood64.27103.4364 SH-17A east Wynnewood
66.29106.6866 SH-29 Wynnewood, Elmore City
70.36113.2370Airline Road
Pauls Valley72.90117.3272 SH-19 Pauls Valley, Maysville
74.75120.3074Kimberlin Road
Paoli79.55128.0279 SH-145 east Paoli
McClainWayne86.17138.6886 SH-59 Wayne, Payne
Purcell91.10146.6191 SH-74 to SH-39 Purcell, LexingtonServes Purcell Amtrak Station
95.37153.4895 To US 77 Purcell, LexingtonNo southbound entrance; signed only as "Purcell" northbound
Washington98.36158.3098Johnson Road
Goldsby101.64163.57101Ladd Road
104.78168.63104 SH-74 south Goldsby, Washington
107.04172.26106 SH-9 west ChickashaSouthern end of SH-9 concurrency
ClevelandNorman108.39174.44108A SH-9 east TecumsehNorthern end of SH-9 concurrency
108.82175.13108BLindsey Street
109.86176.80109Main StreetServes University of Oklahoma
110.88178.44110Robinson Street / Interstate DriveSigned as exits 110A (west) and 110B (east) southbound for Robinson Street only
112.87181.65112Tecumseh Road
114.21183.80113 US 77 south NormanSouthbound exit and northbound entrance; Southern end of US-77 concurrency
114.92184.95114Indian Hills Road
Moore116.94188.20116S. 19th Street
117.89189.73117 SH-37 (S. 4th Street) / Main Street / N. 5th StreetSigned only for SH-37 (S. 4th Street) southbound
118.95191.43118N. 12th Street / Main Street / N. 5th StreetSigned only for N. 12th Street northbound
119.56192.41119AShields BoulevardNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
119.96193.06119BN. 27th Street
Oklahoma City120.93194.62120SE 89th Street
Oklahoma121.42195.41121ASE 82nd StreetSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
121.92196.21121B US 62 west / I-240 / SH-3 Lawton, Ft. SmithI-240 exits 4A-B; southern end of US-62 concurrency
122.42197.02122ASE 66th StreetNo northbound entrance
122.94197.85122BSE 59th Street
123.49198.74123ASE 51st StreetNo northbound entrance
123.99199.54123BSE 44th StreetNo southbound entrance
124.51200.38124AGrand Boulevard
125.01–
125.27
201.18–
201.60
124BSE 29th Street / SE 25th StreetSigned as exit 125A southbound
126.03202.83125BSE 15th StreetSigned as exit 125D southbound
126.93204.27 I-235 north (US-77 north) – Oklahoma Health Center, State Capitol, EdmondNorthern end of US-77 concurrency; southern terminus of I-235
I-40 west (US-270 west) AmarilloSouthern end of I-40/US-270 concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance; northbound access via I-235 exit 1B
126 I-235 north (US-77 north) – Oklahoma Health Center, State Capitol, EdmondSouthbound exit only, I-235 exit 1A
127.77205.63127Eastern Avenue, Martin Luther King AvenueSouthbound exit is via exit 128
128.38206.61128 I-40 east / US 270 east Ft. SmithNorthern end of I-40/US-270 concurrency
129.19207.91129NE 10th Street
130.19209.52130 US 62 east (NE 23rd Street)Northern end of US-62 concurrency
131.24211.21131NE 36th Street
132.25212.84132ANE 50th Street
133.26214.46132BNE 63rd StreetNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
133.49214.83133 I-44 west (SH-66 west) Lawton, Wichita FallsSouthern end of I-44/SH-66 concurrency; I-44 east exit 130
134.30216.13134Wilshire Boulevard
135.33217.79135Britton Road
136.47219.63136Hefner Road
137.60221.45137NE 122nd Street
138.05222.17138A I-44 / Turner Turnpike east TulsaNorthern end of I-44 concurrency
138B Kilpatrick Turnpike west
138.43222.78138CSooner RoadSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Edmond138.70223.22138DMemorial Road
139.70224.83139SE 33rd Street
140.70226.43140SE 15th Street
141.67228.00141 US 77 south / SH-66 east (2nd Street) Edmond, TulsaNorthern end of SH-66 concurrency, southern end of US-77 concurrency
142.73229.70142Danforth RoadNorthbound exit, no entrance.
143.77231.38143Covell Road
146.76236.19146Waterloo Road
Logan151.80244.30151Seward Road
Guthrie153.30246.71153 US 77 north GuthrieNorthern end of US-77 concurrency
157.75253.87157 SH-33 Guthrie, Perkins, Cushing
Payne170.68274.68170Mulhall Road
174.68281.12174 SH-51 Stillwater, Hennessey
Noble180.87291.08180Orlando Road
Perry185.91299.19185 US 77 Perry, Covington
186.92300.82186 US 64 east (Fir Street) PerrySouthern end of US-64 concurrency
193.94312.12193Airport RoadNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
194.56313.11194 US 64 west / US 412 / Cimarron Turnpike east Tulsa, EnidNorthern end of US-64 concurrency; signed as exits 194A (east) and 194B (west); US-412/Cimarron Tpke. exits 1A-B
204.06328.40203 SH-15 Billings, Marland
KayTonkawa212.09341.33211Fountain Road
215.10346.17214 US 60 Tonkawa, Ponca City
219.11352.62218Hubbard Road
Blackwell223.12359.08222 SH-11 Blackwell, Medford
Braman231.19372.06230Braman Road
232.18373.66231 US 177 Braman
236.19380.11 I-35 / Kansas Turnpike north WichitaContinuation into Kansas
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. Stuve, Eric. Interstate Highways. OKHighways. 27 February 2007.
  2. Official State Map (PDF) (Map) (2009–10 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  3. Cockerell, Penny. "50 Years: As the intersection of Interstates 35, 40, and 44, Oklahoma is at America's crossroads." The Daily Oklahoman 29 June 2006: 2A.
  4. Medley, Robert. "Higways[sic] continue to drive economy." The Daily Oklahoman 29 June 2006: 1D.
  5. McNichol, Dan. The Roads that Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2006. ISBN 1-4027-3468-9
  6. Farmer, Ann. "Old Mountain Area Becomes A New Discovery" The Nevada (Mo.) Sunday Herald (republished for the AP by The Greenville (Tex.) Herald Banner) 9 June 1972: 12.
  7. "Norman residents plead with Oklahoma state road officials". NewsOK.com.
  8. Cole-Frowe, Carol. "Fired up: Residents fight for Lindsey Street interchange." The Norman Transcript 19 September 2008: A1.
  9. "Interstate 35 design plan for Norman widening project unveiled". NewsOK.com.
  10. "Work to begin on I-35 widening project in Norman". NewsOK.com.
  11. "Construction Work Plan". state.ok.us.

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Interstate 35
Previous state:
Texas
Oklahoma Next state:
Kansas
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