Proposed US 412 Upgrade

[sprjus4]

This is from the Oklahoma I-42 application. I wonder what the 3 segments are. Cimarron Turnpike, I-244 and what?

motorola edge (2022)

My guess: Cimarron Turnpike, I-244, and I-44.

Cherokee Turnpike, probably.

That would not be allowed to be added to the interstate system. It does not connect directly to another interstate highway.

[The Ghostbuster]

The Interstate application will undoubtedly be resubmitted at some point. Does anyone think they'll try for the Interstate 42 designation again, or might they try for a different designation next time?

[vdeane]

The Interstate application will undoubtedly be resubmitted at some point. Does anyone think they'll try for the Interstate 42 designation again, or might they try for a different designation next time?

They already got the I-42 designation...

[Scott5114]

That would not be allowed to be added to the interstate system. It does not connect directly to another interstate highway.

Bold of you to assume ODOT knows or cares about that... Or AASHTO, for that matter.

[edwaleni]

That would not be allowed to be added to the interstate system. It does not connect directly to another interstate highway.

US-412 connects with I-44 in East Tulsa. That is probably what he meant.

Yes the Cherokee (by itself) starts east of Chouteau and ends at the state line, but the non-compliant section they want to add later is probably the part between Chouteau (US-69) and East Tulsa since it has grade level access.

[Scott5114]

I am pretty sure that ODOT straight up doesn't see anything wrong with I-42 starting and stopping randomly wherever it's convenient—there are a dozen or so Oklahoma state highways that exist in two disconnected sections, and even some disparate highways that have nothing to do with each other, but have the same number. Renumbering the Cherokee Turnpike as I-42, despite it not connecting directly to any other Interstate, would be fairly typical Oklahoma numbering practice.

The only question is whether AASHTO and FHWA care enough to tell them they can't do that.

[US75A]

It's interesting to note that I-22 didn't connect with an interstate at either end for several years (until the I-65 interchange and the I-269 belt were both completed) and AL/MS both didn't have an issue with it - and they still had those snappy looking "CORRIDOR X" signs still up after I-22 was signed.

I-40 wasn't continuous west of Oklahoma City until 1982 when the bypass section around Sayre was done. 

North Carolina has their 203 different future interstates signed at random depending on how much Cheerwine the sign crew had that day. 

Future I-42/46/48 isn't going to be alone in not being complete or continuous whenever the signs go up. 

[sprjus4]

North Carolina has their 203 different future interstates signed at random depending on how much Cheerwine the sign crew had that day. 

There are no sections of interstate highway in North Carolina signed that do not connect with an existing interstate segment.

[Bobby5280]

Once construction finishes at removing the last two bits of grassy median on the Cimarron Turnpike that whole thing can be signed as an Interstate, from I-35 on East to the US-64/US-412 interchange.

The "free" segment of US-412 from the US-64 split over into Sand Springs has various deficiencies that don't meet Interstate quality. We're talking sub-standard ramps, inadequate shoulders and at least one at-grade intersection by the Arkansas River. So that's going to leave a gap between two possible signed segments of I-42.

Obviously the other segment that can be signed immediately is the portion of I-244 that overlaps US-412 and part of US-412 going West of downtown Tulsa to Sand Springs. Once the 3x3 freeway drops to 2x2 lanes it drops below current Interstate standards.

I think it would be utterly ridiculous to sign the Cherokee Turnpike as I-42. At best, it could be signed as "Future I-42." On the bright side, the US-412 segment from Catoosa to Chouteau could be upgraded to Interstate standards easily. Some at-grade intersections already have ROW clearly preserved for future exit ramps.