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[TheBox]

specifically US-69 between Durant and I-44 @ Big Cabin, with bypasses in between (Tushka, Atoka, Stringtown, Kiowa, Savanna and maybe a direct connector to INT (for Tulsa), Muskogee? and a new direct connector to MT (again for Tulsa) if not said INT, Wagoner, Chouteau, Pryor, and then Adair).
And if even further beyond I-44, the maybe a couple more bypasses (Miami OK, Commerce, Quapaw Baxter Springs, Riverton?, Pittsburg KS?, and then Fort Scott)

This is as fictional as it gets for me, with the latter half north of I-44 sounding less realistic than the first half already kinda is.

and that's all without mentioning the idea of a fictional I-45 extension north of Dallas (which is a whole 'nother can of worms)

[The Ghostbuster]

How are the upgrades to US 69/75 south of Durant coming? It will be great to see US 69/75 completely-freeway between Exit 4 and Exit 12. Also, the 69/75 ceases to be freeway north of the OK 22 interchange (Exit 26) and doesn't resume as completely-freeway until Exit 96 (Business 69/Bucks of Gains Creek Rd.). Maybe the 70-mile segment in-between should be upgraded to freeway standards first, if necessary.

[TheBox]

How are the upgrades to US 69/75 south of Durant coming?

Looking at it on Google Maps, i can say the works that's going on from Chicksaw Rd @ Calera to US-70 @ Durant is more or less going smoothly (most notably the overpass at Choctaw Rd)

they also redoing the W Travis St underpass and the Center St, W Washington St overpasses, both at Sherman

[Bobby5280]

US-69/75 from the Red River to the intersection with US-70 in Durant seems likely to be upgraded fully to Interstate standards. North of US-70? Maybe only in bits and pieces for the near future.

Some upgrade work in the McAlester area is in the planning stages. Groups in Muskogee blocked plans for a freeway bypass around the West side of town. Such a bypass is still needed due to the large amount of heavy truck traffic using US-69.

The towns of Atoka and Stringtown have blocked past corridor improvement efforts. But how well will those towns continue to hold out over the long term? Rural areas in Oklahoma are shedding population. The towns are aging older due to lack of opportunity for young adults. Small towns in Oklahoma are having a tough time keeping teachers and even doctors. In another 20 years Atoka and Stringtown might be begging for an Interstate to "get them on the map" in a bid to prevent them from becoming ghost towns.

If the federal government was more involved with Interstate corridor development it would be more likely US-69 from the Red River to Big Cabin/I-44 could be upgraded to Interstate standards considerably faster. With states having to piece-meal the upgrades the process will be far slower.

[rte66man]

This thread belongs on the Central States board.

[ZLoth]

Can we get the freeway upgrades completed near the casino? Latest estimate for completion is "Summer of 2023".

[Bobby5280]

The freeway segment by the Choctaw Casino up to the US-70 Durant Bypass should be finished sometime soon. I don't know if the work in the town of Calera immediately South of the casino will finish at the same time. When that segment is finished there will still be a mile long gap of non-freeway road between Colbert and Calera.

The US-69/75 freeway in Durant looks substandard. Ramps and shoulders look inadequate for modern Interstate standards. Plus the main lanes look like they need some serious rehabilitation or outright replacement. On the bright side any upgrades would probably not require any extra ROW. US-69/75 could be upgraded in place going North out of Durant up to Tushka pretty easily.

From the South side of Tushka up through Atoka and Stringtown any freeway upgrades will be politically difficult. It might not stay difficult as remaining residents continue to age and die off.

[In_Correct]

Why is this in Mid South ?!  Perhaps Central States, or even better ... Fictional ??

[splashflash]

Why is this in Mid South ?!  Perhaps Central States, or even better ... Fictional ??

Should be here: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32438.0

[bwana39]

Why is this in Mid South ?!  Perhaps Central States, or even better ... Fictional ??

Guys While this is technically in the Central States due to it being in Oklahoma, Oklahoma south of I-40 is far more in common with the mid-south than Iowa (or even Kansas)

[Road Hog]

I look at threads in the Updated Posts function more than the proper regional thread, so I am Switzerland on this one.

US 75 is the main highway north from Dallas here, so that's my interest.

[Scott5114]

Why is this in Mid South ?!  Perhaps Central States, or even better ... Fictional ??

Guys While this is technically in the Central States due to it being in Oklahoma, Oklahoma south of I-40 is far more in common with the mid-south than Iowa (or even Kansas)

That's cool and all, but Oklahoma threads go in Central States because that's where the Oklahoma users go to look for them.

(also I grew up 30 miles south of I-40 and got nothin' in common with the Mid-South)

[bwana39]

Why is this in Mid South ?!  Perhaps Central States, or even better ... Fictional ??

Guys While this is technically in the Central States due to it being in Oklahoma, Oklahoma south of I-40 is far more in common with the mid-south than Iowa (or even Kansas)

That's cool and all, but Oklahoma threads go in Central States because that's where the Oklahoma users go to look for them.

(also I grew up 30 miles south of I-40 and got nothin' in common with the Mid-South)

So you relate better to Sioux Falls than to DFW? LOL    We discussed what "The South" was in a thread somewhere on here. The consensus was that Southeast Oklahoma probably was, but not the rest of the state. How would one define SE Oklahoma? Probably   South of OK-3 / OK-7 or US-270 and east of the US-69 /75 Corridor or perhaps even I-35. Southeast Oklahoma State University is in Durant, which is along US-69.

Sometimes state lines don't clearly denote cultural regions. Metro Memphis contains three or four counties in NW Mississippi. Metro Memphis itself is neatly carved out of the southeast and put in the Mid-south.  Louisiana is divided north and south. El Paso CLEARLY doesn't belong in the mid-south. The casinos in Durant and Ardmore are all about D-FW not Oklahoma.

Finally, coming back to the 1970's and 80's, "Cowboy" Bill Watts' Mid-South Championship Wrestling was headquartered in Tulsa.

 BTW. I should have at least said I-40 Corridor which you roughly grew up in.

I am going to add one other thing. The Central States Board seems really busy and I have to look seriously to find the Oklahoma stuff and generally, I just don't.

Man am I a pain in the butt or what? I like to argue and am rarely serious when I do it! If I am serious, I do it by PM.

[Scott5114]

So you relate better to Sioux Falls than to DFW? LOL

Honestly? Yeah. Maybe not Sioux Falls specifically (never been there so I can't say either way), but towns in Kansas and Missouri feel more like home than towns in Texas do.

I don't think anywhere in the world has much in common with Texas, actually.

[Rothman]

So you relate better to Sioux Falls than to DFW? LOL

Honestly? Yeah. Maybe not Sioux Falls specifically (never been there so I can't say either way), but towns in Kansas and Missouri feel more like home than towns in Texas do.

I don't think anywhere in the world has much in common with Texas, actually.

It's the "mums."  What a strange school tradition.

[Scott5114]

So you relate better to Sioux Falls than to DFW? LOL

Honestly? Yeah. Maybe not Sioux Falls specifically (never been there so I can't say either way), but towns in Kansas and Missouri feel more like home than towns in Texas do.

I don't think anywhere in the world has much in common with Texas, actually.

It's the "mums."  What a strange school tradition.

I had to Google this. What the fuck?

[Rothman]

So you relate better to Sioux Falls than to DFW? LOL

Honestly? Yeah. Maybe not Sioux Falls specifically (never been there so I can't say either way), but towns in Kansas and Missouri feel more like home than towns in Texas do.

I don't think anywhere in the world has much in common with Texas, actually.

It's the "mums."  What a strange school tradition.

I had to Google this. What the fuck?

I had a friend move to Texas and had friends pop up on her Facebook page saying, "Oh, I'll help you with your daughter's mum, don't you worry!  It'll be so much fun!"

O.o

[rte66man]

Why is this in Mid South ?!  Perhaps Central States, or even better ... Fictional ??

Guys While this is technically in the Central States due to it being in Oklahoma, Oklahoma south of I-40 is far more in common with the mid-south than Iowa (or even Kansas)

That's cool and all, but Oklahoma threads go in Central States because that's where the Oklahoma users go to look for them.

(also I grew up 30 miles south of I-40 and got nothin' in common with the Mid-South)

So you relate better to Sioux Falls than to DFW? LOL    We discussed what "The South" was in a thread somewhere on here. The consensus was that Southeast Oklahoma probably was, but not the rest of the state. How would one define SE Oklahoma? Probably   South of OK-3 / OK-7 or US-270 and east of the US-69 /75 Corridor or perhaps even I-35. Southeast Oklahoma State University is in Durant, which is along US-69.

In general, "Little Dixie" has always been loosely defined as anything south of I-40 and east of US69.

Sometimes state lines don't clearly denote cultural regions. Metro Memphis contains three or four counties in NW Mississippi. Metro Memphis itself is neatly carved out of the southeast and put in the Mid-south.  Louisiana is divided north and south. El Paso CLEARLY doesn't belong in the mid-south. The casinos in Durant and Ardmore are all about D-FW not Oklahoma.

Ardmore?? Winstar is on the Red River 30 miles south of Ardmore. Plus, anything in that part of the state has never culturally been considered part of the South. Think about the rough outlines of the Choctaw Nation and you will get pretty close. Also, the accents change distinctly between Ardmore and Durant.

Finally, coming back to the 1970's and 80's, "Cowboy" Bill Watts' Mid-South Championship Wrestling was headquartered in Tulsa.

Equating roads geekery to Bill Watts is a first

I am going to add one other thing. The Central States Board seems really busy and I have to look seriously to find the Oklahoma stuff and generally, I just don't.

Man am I a pain in the butt or what?

I don't think anyone would argue that 

[splashflash]

US-69/75 from the Red River to the intersection with US-70 in Durant seems likely to be upgraded fully to Interstate standards. North of US-70? Maybe only in bits and pieces for the near future.

Some upgrade work in the McAlester area is in the planning stages. Groups in Muskogee blocked plans for a freeway bypass around the West side of town. Such a bypass is still needed due to the large amount of heavy truck traffic using US-69.

The towns of Atoka and Stringtown have blocked past corridor improvement efforts.

In the ODOT 2023-2030 projects list, Atoka District has for 2023 $4M for right-of-way and $1.7M for utilities from 12 miles north of the Bryan County line North through Tushka budgeted.  That's a start, I guess.  In 2026 there is money, $23.3M and $5M for grading, draining and surfacing.

[Bobby5280]

Does that $4 million for ROW and $1.7 million for utilities apply to the existing US-69/75 alignment? Or does it suggest any sort of new terrain bypass?

Tushka is a small enough town that it would probably be cheaper to buy and clear properties along the existing highway in order to widen it. Atoka is (currently) large enough that any type of new 4-lane divided highway would require a bypass around the town.

As I've said earlier, Oklahoma's rural areas have already been shedding population. [Redacted lengthy discussion of non-transport-related state politics being a likely cause of this. -S.]

Anyway, the point of all this is that if Oklahoma stays on its current track for the next 10-20 years it won't be difficult at all to plow a new Interstate thru Tushka, Atoka and Stringtown by then. Those towns will literally be dead.

[splashflash]

Does that $4 million for ROW and $1.7 million for utilities apply to the existing US-69/75 alignment? Or does it suggest any sort of new terrain bypass?

Good question.  From several years ago there was this news clip:
https://www.kxii.com/content/news/Expansion-planned-for-hwy-69-through-Tushka-504834221.html

If the center turn lane were still the plan, that would be a lot of money for minimal gain for intercity users.

[rte66man]

Does that $4 million for ROW and $1.7 million for utilities apply to the existing US-69/75 alignment? Or does it suggest any sort of new terrain bypass?

Good question.  From several years ago there was this news clip:
https://www.kxii.com/content/news/Expansion-planned-for-hwy-69-through-Tushka-504834221.html

If the center turn lane were still the plan, that would be a lot of money for minimal gain for intercity users.

I thought that has already gone out for bid as  a 5-lane highway with improved curbs and sidewalks but I can't find the award.