Are turnpikes in Oklahoma and Kansas referred to by name or number?

[Roadgeekteen]

In the northeast, toll roads are normally referred to by name. Is I-44 in OK known as just "I-44" or is it referred too as Turner, Will Rogers, etc, and does the "Kansas Turnpike" name superseded I-35, I-335.

[Scott5114]

In Oklahoma City, usually the I-44 number predominates. If someone really specifically means the segment between Tulsa and OKC, they'll refer to the Turner Turnpike (especially in terms of a location of an accident). The phrase "the turnpike" is also sometimes used when not ambiguous ("I'm on the turnpike north of Chickasha...").

I'd imagine for a more thorough answer you want a Tulsan to answer.

Who the hell is Wilbur Cross?

[Roadgeekteen]

In Oklahoma City, usually the I-44 number predominates. If someone really specifically means the segment between Tulsa and OKC, they'll refer to the Turner Turnpike (especially in terms of a location of an accident). The phrase "the turnpike" is also sometimes used when not ambiguous ("I'm on the turnpike north of Chickasha...").

I'd imagine for a more thorough answer you want a Tulsan to answer.

Who the hell is Wilbur Cross?

I'm dumb, confused it with the Will Rogers turnpike.

[Ned Weasel]

In the northeast, toll roads are normally referred to by name. Is I-44 in OK known as just "I-44" or is it referred too as Turner, Will Rogers, etc, and does the "Kansas Turnpike" name superseded I-35, I-335.

For a Kansas answer:

I've already met someone here in Kansas who thought the Kansas Turnpike started at the Colorado border (um, no, that's just I-70).  My general sense is people around here usually go by the Interstate numbers, especially if you're referring to the I-35 and I-70 portions of the Turnpike.  If you're talking about I-335, people are probably more likely to say "Follow the Turnpike."  The same might go for the Turnpike portion of I-470, but I'm not sure.

Maybe the Kansas Turnpike Authority should do a survey.

This is more of a side note, but I think the state of Kansas generally under-appreciates its Turnpike.  The non-tolled portion of I-35 had little reason to be built because the Turnpike already provided an efficient route to downtown Kansas City, MO that's only three miles longer, and Overland Park wasn't a big city in 1956.  Which is the better route to downtown KCMO?  It depends on the time of day.  I-35 in Johnson County gets way more congestion than I-70 in Wyandotte County.  But I-35 is the preferred route on paper (and usually on signs) because you're just following one number.

I have a ton of "Fictional Highways" ideas for how to encourage more people to use the Turnpike to get to places like KCK, KCI Airport, or even as a bypass of Johnson County, but in reality, they'd most likely be sign clutter.  But on the other hand, if more people DID use the Turnpike as an alternative to I-35, it would relieve pressure to widen I-35--pressure that's so great that they're already thinking of adding toll lanes.

[Scott5114]

I would imagine you could accomplish a lot of that by just changing the I-335 control to "Topeka/Kansas City" and I-35 to "Emporia/Johnson Co" (or "Olathe" or "Overland Park" if you don't think people know where Johnson County is). But that would probably invite criticism of KTA profiteering.

[US71]

Indian Nation Turnpike has no numerical designation.

The Muskogee Turnpike is usually Muskogee Turnpike, not 351, from what I have observed.

[sprjus4]

Biggest benefit of I-35 over I-335 / I-470 / I-70 (Kansas Turnpike) is that I-35 is free, the Turnpike is tolled.

[Ned Weasel]

Biggest benefit of I-35 over I-335 / I-470 / I-70 (Kansas Turnpike) is that I-35 is free, the Turnpike is tolled.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, nor is there such a thing as a free road to travel to get your lunch.

There is, however, such a thing as a dead horse, and I'm not hungry enough to eat it.

[Ned Weasel]

This is neither here nor there (well, maybe a little there), but I really want to drive all of the Oklahoma Turnpikes in their entirety someday.  It's a "bucket list" item for me.  Actually, I'd love to drive the full length of every turnpike in the U.S., but that would take a while (and quite a lot of travel money, with the tolls probably being the lowest-cost item overall).

[US 89]

Biggest benefit of I-35 over I-335 / I-470 / I-70 (Kansas Turnpike) is that I-35 is free, the Turnpike is tolled.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, nor is there such a thing as a free road to travel to get your lunch.

Sure, but your gas taxes are paying for those free roads. If you choose to take the Turnpike instead, you're paying those same gas taxes plus the cost of the additional toll. And those gas taxes are still paying for I-35 and the other free roads you aren't using.

[sprjus4]

Turnpike between Emporia and Kansas is $4.65 with a KTag and $6.25 for toll by plate.

For over 100 miles of distance, not a bad price.

However, I-35 is still $0.00 in tolls, and with a similar travel time, would be my preferred option, especially if I did not have a KTag or other compatible pass.

[Roadgeekteen]

What about the US 412 turnpikes? Do they go by name or US 412?

[vdeane]

Turnpike between Emporia and Kansas is $4.65 with a KTag and $6.25 for toll by plate.

For over 100 miles of distance, not a bad price.

However, I-35 is still $0.00 in tolls, and with a similar travel time, would be my preferred option, especially if I did not have a KTag or other compatible pass.

Google says I-35 is 10-15 minutes shorter.  I've actually been wondering why it was built, given that it only saves a small amount of time, and doesn't appear to serve anywhere not already served by the Turnpike, and I can't imagine Topeka traffic on the Turnpike is bad.  Was it really worth spending all that money to built it, rather than just taking the route that was already there?

Had I-35 followed the Turnpike instead, at least then the exit numbers on I-70 wouldn't jump randomly where the Turnpike ends since it would just theoretically use I-35 numbers until I-35 resumed its real-world route.  Speaking of that part of the Turnpike, is there a story behind the interchanges that look like this?  Those trees make me think it used to be a trumpet.

[route56]

In the Topeka/Lawrence area, the Kansas Turnpike is generally called "The Turnpike" west of Bonner Springs, and I-70 in the KC Metro. I-470 generally refers to the untolled segment west of Topeka Boulevard. I-335 is never refereed to by number, and the only reason it even carries an interstate number was to allow that section of the Turnpike to raise its speed limit from 55 mph to 65 mph alongside the rest of the rural Interstates.

Google says I-35 is 10-15 minutes shorter.  I've actually been wondering why it was built, given that it only saves a small amount of time, and doesn't appear to serve anywhere not already served by the Turnpike...

Ottawa is not a town to sneeze at.

Speaking of that part of the Turnpike, is there a story behind the interchanges that look like this?  Those trees make me think it used to be a trumpet.

That would be the East Lawrence Interchange. You would be correct in that both it and the West Lawrence interchanges were trumpets. The roundabouts were built as part of the project to replace the Kansas River Bridges back in 2010.

[Roadgeekteen]

Turnpike between Emporia and Kansas is $4.65 with a KTag and $6.25 for toll by plate.

For over 100 miles of distance, not a bad price.

However, I-35 is still $0.00 in tolls, and with a similar travel time, would be my preferred option, especially if I did not have a KTag or other compatible pass.

Google says I-35 is 10-15 minutes shorter.  I've actually been wondering why it was built, given that it only saves a small amount of time, and doesn't appear to serve anywhere not already served by the Turnpike, and I can't imagine Topeka traffic on the Turnpike is bad.  Was it really worth spending all that money to built it, rather than just taking the route that was already there?

Had I-35 followed the Turnpike instead, at least then the exit numbers on I-70 wouldn't jump randomly where the Turnpike ends since it would just theoretically use I-35 numbers until I-35 resumed its real-world route.  Speaking of that part of the Turnpike, is there a story behind the interchanges that look like this?  Those trees make me think it used to be a trumpet.

They wanted to keep interstates untolled whenever possible. I think they planned on having I-35 traveling on US 50 to Newton.

[Ned Weasel]

Speaking of that part of the Turnpike, is there a story behind the interchanges that look like this?  Those trees make me think it used to be a trumpet.

You are correct. Exits 202 and 204 both used to be trumpets. I have no idea why they changed them to roundabouts and added a conflict point, but I can sure guess. (1) Maybe they wanted longer on-ramps, so you're not entering the Turnpike right off a 30-MPH curve, in which case, they could have just extended the acceleration lanes instead. (2) Maybe they're anticipating a northward extension of the access roads, which would require building a second toll plaza, which is precedented if you look at Exit 33, although conversion to AET whenever that happens would eliminate the need for said toll plaza.

[rte66man]

Indian Nation Turnpike has no numerical designation.

The Muskogee Turnpike is usually Muskogee Turnpike, not 351, from what I have observed.

I believe usage for almost of the turnpikes after the 'big 3" is as a name since many weren't numbered until recently. The exception might me the Cimarron (US412). Not sure about the Cherokee. The Chickasaw is still the Chickasaw even though it is now a free road. As said above, whether the I-44 toll roads are names or numbers depends on who's referencing it and for what purpose.

[Scott5114]

The Chickasaw is still the Chickasaw even though it is now a free road.

Most of the Chickasaw isn't a free road, just the useful part between SH-7 and US-177. This was given the designation of "SH-7 Spur" (why we have to deal with "spur" designations when we have the stronger precedent of letter suffixes like 7D, I don't know). It would make sense for people to still call it the Chickasaw though.

[bugo]

In Tulsa, I most often here "the turnpike" and "I-44" for the Turner, Creek and Will Rogers turnpikes. Or "the highway". Any freeway is "the highway" to most Tulsans. "Get on the highway and exit at Yale." I hear it far more than I hear any other names.

[Alps]

In Tulsa, I most often here "the turnpike" and "I-44" for the Turner, Creek and Will Rogers turnpikes. Or "the highway". Any freeway is "the highway" to most Tulsans. "Get on the highway and exit at Yale." I hear it far more than I hear any other names.

I trust you on this, as opposed to fake Tulsans who read names on OSM and think they're gospel.

[kphoger]

Here in Wichita...

"I-35" refers to two different highways:
  A.  The Canal Route, which is actually I-135 but used to be I-35W;
  B.  The Turnpike, which is indeed I-35.

This gets confusing.  However, I estimate that at least half the locals refer to them as "the Canal Route" and "the Turnpike", respectively.

[hbelkins]

In Tulsa, I most often here "the turnpike" and "I-44" for the Turner, Creek and Will Rogers turnpikes. Or "the highway". Any freeway is "the highway" to most Tulsans. "Get on the highway and exit at Yale." I hear it far more than I hear any other names.

There are still a lot of people who refer to I-65 in Kentucky between Elizabethtown and Louisville as "the turnpike" even though it hasn't officially been marked as the Kentucky Turnpike, or carried a toll, for many years.

[J N Winkler]

Here in Wichita...

"I-35" refers to two different highways:
  A.  The Canal Route, which is actually I-135 but used to be I-35W;
  B.  The Turnpike, which is indeed I-35.

This gets confusing.  However, I estimate that at least half the locals refer to them as "the Canal Route" and "the Turnpike", respectively.

I use the "Canal Route" phrase to sidestep the whole conversation about I-135 being only a child of I-35, which carries less traffic and is basically a blind corridor through southeast Wichita.



As for the Cimarron and Cherokee Turnpikes in Oklahoma, I use the names, but I would say "US 412" if giving directions to someone not familiar with the Oklahoma turnpike system.  I know they have US 412 shields; I am less sure that signing by name is available at the critical decision points.

[rte66man]

The Chickasaw is still the Chickasaw even though it is now a free road.

Most of the Chickasaw isn't a free road, just the useful part between SH-7 and US-177. This was given the designation of "SH-7 Spur" (why we have to deal with "spur" designations when we have the stronger precedent of letter suffixes like 7D, I don't know). It would make sense for people to still call it the Chickasaw though.

Did ODOT change the BGS on OK7 approaching the Chickasaw and put a shield on it?

[kphoger]

I use the "Canal Route" phrase to sidestep the whole conversation about I-135 being only a child of I-35, which carries less traffic and is basically a blind corridor through southeast Wichita.

Except where it isn't.  I remember when we had a cable tech working here from Arkansas on a temporary basis, he got directions from someone that involved taking Kellogg to "I-35", which meant the Canal Route.  He called dispatch from clear out by the east Lowe's (just past the actual I-35 interchange) because he couldn't figure out how to follow the directions from there.