Tulsa Metro Highways | Small projects and construction

[bugo]

Making 75 a freeway from the Tulsa County line south to Henryetta will NEVER happen; mostly for all the reasons listed above. IF I45 is ever extended into Oklahoma, it will track 69 to Checotah and end there at the junction with I40.

Never say never. I would have said that US 78 being extended into Arkansas would never happen, but I would have been wrong. One day, I expect for there to be a full freeway from I-40 to I-44. Not soon, but eventually.

[bugo]

Much of I-44 thru Tulsa was re-built in the late 2000's into the early 2010's. The re-build incorporated Texas U-Turns at the Yale Ave interchange. Memorial Road has a U-turn on only one side since the frontage roads dead end there.

There are yewee crossover ramps in both directions at Peoria and one from EB to WB at Lewis. They're very handy.

[rte66man]

Much of I-44 thru Tulsa was re-built in the late 2000's into the early 2010's. The re-build incorporated Texas U-Turns at the Yale Ave interchange. Memorial Road has a U-turn on only one side since the frontage roads dead end there.

There are yewee crossover ramps in both directions at Peoria and one from EB to WB at Lewis. They're very handy.

And they built a turnaround lane for WB to EB, apparently forgetting 51st is 2-way east of Lewis.

[Bobby5280]

I overlooked the U-turn ramps at Peoria Ave and Lewis Ave. Every time I drive through that segment of I-44 in Tulsa I think back to when the road was a narrow 4-lane freeway prior to the 2010's. Traffic back-ups were often BAD there. That part of I-44 is so much nicer now.

Regarding I-45 and an extension into Oklahoma I could only see it ending at I-40 and Checotah as an interim step. It would only make sense extending I-45 to that point if there was an ultimate goal of extending it farther to Big Cabin and I-44.

It would be easier to extend I-45 to Checotah than Tulsa. Okmulgee is a serious obstacle for an I-45 route to Tulsa. But there wouldn't be much point in extending I-45 to Checotah in the first place unless there was some game plan to push it through or around Muskogee. In either I-45 scenario, be it Tulsa or Big Cabin, we still have the problems with Tushka, Atoka and Stringtown. Unless those problems get solved any potential I-45 extension could be stuck at Durant.

ODOT could try gaming the system, signing new stubs of I-45 from Checotah, extending North and South of I-40. Building down thru McAlester and to the Army Ammunition Plant in Savanna wouldn't be too difficult. US-69 in McAlester is slowly being brought up to Interstate standards. ODOT could also start building an I-45 stub Southward from Big Cabin. The idea would be to book-end towns like Muskogee and Atoka with completed Interstate. Put upgrading thru or around those towns off to the last. Meanwhile all those heavy trucks can beat those towns' streets to shit. At some point they'll be begging for the Interstate to come thru or around to get some relief.

[bugo]

On southbound Sheridan at about 85th Street, there is a light up sign saying that there is construction on Sheridan from 91st to 101st. I didn't go past 91st, so I couldn't tell what they were doing. Could they actually be widening it to 4 lanes? Or, even better, an interchange with the Creek Turnpike?

[bugo]

I made this video in 2012. It starts out briefly headed southbound on US 75 to the loop ramp that leads to eastbound I-44. I turned around at the BA/OK 51/US 64 and headed westbound and got off at Peoria and ended the video. This was when the highway was being reconstructed. There is a nice modern 6 lane freeway for a mile or two, then it dumps you back on the original narrow 2 lane alignment to go under Lewis Avenue, then becomes a modern 6 lane freeway again. Now Lewis has a wide bridge with a uey turnaround on the western end of the bridge. It's changed a lot.

[swake]

I made this video in 2012. It starts out briefly headed southbound on US 75 to the loop ramp that leads to eastbound I-44. I turned around at the BA/OK 51/US 64 and headed westbound and got off at Peoria and ended the video. This was when the highway was being reconstructed. There is a nice modern 6 lane freeway for a mile or two, then it dumps you back on the original narrow 2 lane alignment to go under Lewis Avenue, then becomes a modern 6 lane freeway again. Now Lewis has a wide bridge with a uey turnaround on the western end of the bridge. It's changed a lot.

The I-44/US-75 interchange was only theoretically paved back then.

[bugo]

And they built a turnaround lane for WB to EB, apparently forgetting 51st is 2-way east of Lewis.

I seem to remember that the original plans called for 51st to be one way from Lewis to Harvard, but they changed their minds.

51st between about Utica to Lewis was two way before they rebuilt I-44. It led to the Deathramp, which can be seen here:

[rte66man]

And they built a turnaround lane for WB to EB, apparently forgetting 51st is 2-way east of Lewis.

I seem to remember that the original plans called for 51st to be one way from Lewis to Harvard, but they changed their minds.

51st between about Utica to Lewis was two way before they rebuilt I-44. It led to the Deathramp, which can be seen here:

I used to live in the Open World Garden apartments at 55th and Lewis. To get to my job in the quickest way I was forced to take that ramp. It is/was aptly labeled.

[CoreySamson]

Reminds me a bit of the ramp from E 29th to US 64:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vbBxcuZ6fuifjLFt9

[Bobby5280]

Tulsa still has several pretty crappy on/off ramps. Even a couple on the re-built portions of I-44 next to East 51st Street South are less than optimal. But nothing else in Tulsa quite compares to the Deathramp.

I-25 in Southern Colorado has a few on/off ramps that are insane. Thankfully the traffic counts aren't as high as Tulsa traffic on I-44.

[CoreySamson]

Current progress on the 141st St interchange on US 75, facing northwest, west, and southwest respectively:





They've installed some new traffic lights. US 75 traffic is currently routed on some new frontage roads, which are squeezed between the future main lanes and the business service roads. I was under the assumption that this section was going to be 3x3, but it looks like it will be sized for 2x2. Lowkey some pretty good progress though. I pass by the interchange at least twice a week, so I will keep y'all posted on it.

GSV is updated too, with some 2025 imagery already available for the interchange.

[Bobby5280]

That's showing a bit more progress compared to the 12/2024 Google Street View imagery in that location.

[CoreySamson]

Another photo update of the 141st interchange progress:



Beams for the overpass were installed in the past week, which is pretty impressive progress from where the project was a month ago (especially considering that half of February in Tulsa was more reminiscent of Winnipeg). I think it's a little funny that the dirt fill for the approaches to the interchange is not there yet; usually in Texas that work is completed first before the bridge girders are set in place.

Overall, though, this is extremely quick progress, along the lines of the I-44/US 169 cloverleaf ramp project that finished recently.

[Stephane Dumas]

Is there some long-range plans to turn US-75 into a full freeway between OK-67 and 121th street?

[Bobby5280]

I don't know. But such a thing looks definitely do-able. Some intersections, such as W 146th Street, would get bridged over and cut off from US-75. Frontage roads could be built along much (but not all) of the stretch between the OK-67 interchange and the W 121st Street (OK-117) interchange. There is currently a traffic signal at the W 141st Street intersection. Would that get a freeway exit with US-75?

[CoreySamson]

I don't know. But such a thing looks definitely do-able. Some intersections, such as W 146th Street, would get bridged over and cut off from US-75. Frontage roads could be built along much (but not all) of the stretch between the OK-67 interchange and the W 121st Street (OK-117) interchange. There is currently a traffic signal at the W 141st Street intersection. Would that get a freeway exit with US-75?

The photo I took is of 141st, and it's getting an interchange. Given the current setup of the future exit ramps I don't think there is enough space for frontage roads unless they really reconfigure it. I've heard that E 131st might be getting extended to a new interchange with US 75 as well.

[swake]

Is there some long-range plans to turn US-75 into a full freeway between OK-67 and 121th street?

INCOG's long range plan is to widen US-75 to a six/eight lane freeway with intermittent service roads between I-244 and OK-67 and to upgrade the road as a four lane freeway all the way to 221st. 

The work on the 141st interchange is going on now, the next phase of the I-44/61st interchanges starts next month. Right of way and utilities between 76th and 221st are being purchased and moved in the next 3-4 years.

US-75 in north Tulsa County is seeing similar work widening to six lanes north to 86th ST N and upgrades to a 4 lane freeway to OK-20 (146th ST N)

https://www.incog.org/Transportation/Connected2050/Connected2050Plan.pdf

[Plutonic Panda]

The SH-20/I-44 project in Claremore has wrapped up. I don't know too much about the project. I know it adds a new interchange at I-44 and is realigned slightly south of the town and has bridges over SH-66.

Personally, I think they should come up with a plan to make it a full freeway in the future, heading east that snakes around the housing developments and ties into US-169 somewhere. They could just start off with a new alignment and then upgrade it when traffic warrants.

They could then continue the freeway east towards Pryor and connect at US-69 which also should be a freeway at some point. They could tie it in somewhere close to the Mid-America industrial park. Again, I'm not saying they need to do this all right now, but they should at least start planning for it.


At any rate, here's the press release link: https://oklahoma.gov/odot/about-us/newsroom/2025/-city-of-claremore--rogers-county--odot-and-ota-celebrate-sh-20-.html

[bugo]

The SH-20/I-44 project in Claremore

OK 20 is going to follow OK 66 from the junction of the new OK 20 and OK 66 to the original OK 20/66 intersection in Claremore. What designation will the stub between the new OK 20 to I-44 going to be numbered?