Who created Multi-State 99 (KS/OK)

[route56]

In reviewing the Kansas highway maps, I found a discrepancy with my presumed history of Kansas highway 11.

There are two State Highway Commission maps of Kansas dated 1938. The first, listed by KDOT as the "January" Edition, shows the highway as K-11, and the "July" edition shows the same road as K-99. I had presumed that Kansas had changed K-11 to match its southern counterpart. However, both maps show the connecting road into Oklahoma as its state highway 48. The 1940 SHC map *does* show K-99 as connecting to OK 99.

So, I guess the question, which may or may not be answerable, is who was responsible for the change of designation.

[agentsteel53]

sometime between 1938 and 1940, OK-48 got renumbered to OK-99?  (just making sure we're on the same page here!)

[Scott5114]

I'll do some research on the OK side of the border over the next three days. Hang tight.

[route56]

I'll do some research on the OK side of the border over the next three days. Hang tight.

Don't hurry on my behalf

[bugo]

OK 99 first shows up on the official 1939 map.

[Scott5114]

http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/memorial/legal/sh99.htm

According to ODOT, at least, all three state highways were established on May 17, 1938. Seems like this is probably the date K-11 became K-99. At the very least OK-48 became OK-99 on this date. If the July KDOT map still shows it as OK-48, then it is merely in error.

Pretty cool all three highways were renumbered the same day if it is true. Dunno if that could ever happen these days.

Incidentally, OK-48 still exists; it's just been shifted east a bit. Its northern terminus is no longer at the Kansas state line, but rather a few hundred feet north of the Cimarron Turnpike, where it meets US-64. From that point 64 heads east and merges with the Turnpike, causing it to end and US 64/412 to multiplex as a freeway into Tulsa.

[route56]

http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/memorial/legal/sh99.htm

According to ODOT, at least, all three state highways were established on May 17, 1938. Seems like this is probably the date K-11 became K-99. At the very least OK-48 became OK-99 on this date. If the July KDOT map still shows it as OK-48, then it is merely in error.

I'll update the K-11 entry with the information.... However, it brings up a separate issue

NE 99 does not show up on the Kansas maps until 1950... and then, it shows up as the current NE 65 south of Pawnee City, whereas NE 65 was designated as the road connecting K-99. The 1962 maps shows 99 and 65 in their current alignments. Chris Geelhart's Nebraska highways page says that NE 99 was designated in the 1940's, and that the NE 99/NE 65 swap occurred around 1964. Jesse Whidden's page is silent on the issue.

Based on the information available, I would say that OK 99, K-99, and NE 99 were designated on the same day, however, there was a disjoint, since NE 99 did not connect to K-99. I would guess that, for some reason, Nebraska thought Kansas would want to re-align it's K-99 to meet NE 99, but never did. Therefore, Nebraska acquiesced and switched the NE 65 and NE 99 designations.

(Incidentally: the road south of Pawnee City was never hard-surfaced. NE 65 remains gravel to this day)

[Scott5114]

Texas apparently was in on the 99 thing from 1960 to 1968, with a highway running from Denton to OK-99. Wikipedia's TX-10 article makes this assertion, which is unsourced, but the Oklahoma DOH maps do show TX-99 starting in 1964. The year 1968, of course, was when US-377 was extended to Madill, OK. When that happened, the Texas Highway Department (TxDOT's predecessor agency) scrapped TX-99, but for whatever reason Oklahoma DOH never got around to truncating SH-99.

That means from 1964 until 1968, the inter-state highway 99 extended all the way from Denton, TX to Nebraska, covering four states. Pretty impressive feat considering the lack of federal involvement.

[bugo]

In reality, US-377 should not enter OK, because it is rarely used. Rather, it should end in Denton, TX.

Have you ever driven on it?  How would you know it's "rarely used"?

[Scott5114]

US-377 is definitely not rarely used. It passes through Ada and Seminole, both fairly large cities. It also connects to Lake Texoma, the most important recreational area in southern Oklahoma. Here, I just finished this article, which discusses both US-377 and its buddy OK-99:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_State_Highway_99

[Brian556]

On The Texas Portion:
1960: TX 10 Becomes TX 99
1962: Alignment change, TX 99 from Denton To Aubrey is moved from what is now FM 428 to what is now US 377.
         FM 424 was greatly shortened by this, It used to go from US 380(then TX 24) all the way to Aubrey.
1969: TX 99 becomes an extension of US 377