Oklahoma

[Great Lakes Roads]

Creek Turnpike to become I-644?

From the April 7th commission meeting:

"This item is necessitated by the request of INCOG and pursuant to Federal Public Law 109-59, Section 1908 9(a)(1) Creek Turnpike, Oklahoma. —The [FHWA] Secretary shall designate as part of the Interstate System (as defined in section 101 of title 23, United States Code) in accordance with section 103(c)(4) of such title the portion of the Creek Turnpike connection Interstate Route 44 east and west of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

a) Add the designation of I-644 to a 32.79-mile stretch of Turnpike known as the Creek Turnpike, beginning west of Tulsa at the Junction of I-44 and the Creek Turnpike and continuing to the east of Tulsa at the Junction of I-44 and the Creek Turnpike. 

This designation addition to the highway system will result in no change to the overall highway system of Oklahoma. This revision will become effective upon approval by the State Transportation Commission, approval from the AASHTO Special Committee on Numbering, and approval from the FHWA. Approval is recommended."

Approved from AASHTO

Item 10: Oklahoma, I-644
Action: Establishment of a new route or segment
Reason for Action: Establish new Interstate to be a junction off I-44.

Approved

https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/odot/about-us/transportation-comission/agenda/2025/r/tc_agenda-202505.pdf

A new interstate designation will be coming to the Muskogee Turnpike from the Creek Turnpike to I-40.

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the Indian Nation Council of Governments have requested to redesignate the Muskogee Turnpike as Interstate 343.

a) Add the designation of I-343 to a 52.31-mile stretch of Turnpike known as the Muskogee Turnpike, beginning at the Junction of the Creek Turnpike and the Muskogee Turnpike and continuing south to the junction of the Muskogee Turnpike and I-40. 

This designation addition to the highway system will result in no change to the overall highway system of Oklahoma. This revision will become effective upon approval by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission, approval from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering, and approval from the Federal Highway Administration. Approval is recommended.

Also got approved from AASHTO!

Item 9: Oklahoma, I-343
Action: Establishment of a new route or segment
Reason for Action: Establish Muskogee Turnpike to Interstate 343.

Approved

[The Ghostbuster]

Interstate 343 was approved? I understand Interstate 644, but 343 should have been numbered Interstate 340. That designation would've made sense.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Interstate 343 was approved? I understand Interstate 644, but 343 should have been numbered Interstate 340. That designation would've made sense.

Call me crazy, but I could see the Indian Nation Turnpike (INT) gets redesignated into I-340...

[Duke87]

Also got approved from AASHTO!

Of course it did, because AASHTO has been rubber stamping everything sent to them for years. The process is purely a formality now, states can in practice do whatever the fuck they want with US and I- numbering and no one is stopping them.

[The Ghostbuster]

The only place an Interstate 343 would make sense is a renumbering of the STH 172 freeway south of Green Bay.

[Henry]

The only place an Interstate 343 would make sense is a renumbering of the STH 172 freeway south of Green Bay.

Either that or I-243...

But depending on who you ask, it may be as bad, or not as bad, as I-238, which has been signed in the field for over 40 years now. The main difference between I-43 and I-38 is that one of these exists, and the other does not.

[vdeane]

The only place an Interstate 343 would make sense is a renumbering of the STH 172 freeway south of Green Bay.

Either that or I-243...

But depending on who you ask, it may be as bad, or not as bad, as I-238, which has been signed in the field for over 40 years now. The main difference between I-43 and I-38 is that one of these exists, and the other does not.

As far as I'm concerned, this is worse than I-238, and quite possibly the greatest abomination the interstate system has seen yet.  I-238 at least had logic - there were no more I-x80 numbers available that wouldn't require CalTrans to renumber something, and the route was already CA 238.  Not only is there no rhyme or reason for this (the leading 3 is literally the only thing I understand about this number), I-43 actually exists, but this route isn't related to I-43 is any way.

[TBKS1]

Also got approved from AASHTO!

Of course it did, because AASHTO has been rubber stamping everything sent to them for years. The process is purely a formality now, states can in practice do whatever the fuck they want with US and I- numbering and no one is stopping them.

Having set standards for US Route and Interstate highway numbering conventions is bullshit in my opinion. It's now been nearly 100 years since the US Highway system was founded, and over 70 years since the Interstate Highway system was created, and more states and more violations of both systems have been approved. It's easier to just get rid of the numbering conventions rather than people complaining about violations of them, and politicians designating route numbers when they don't know how the conventions work. Non-roadgeeks do not care about this.

[NE2]

At least it's not I-50 in Georgia.

[ElishaGOtis]

At least it's not I-50 in Georgia.

Yeah but that one was ceremonial and only in existence for a day. This is permanent...

Gosh I-342 would have been a better number than 343

[74/171FAN]

At least it's not I-50 in Georgia.

I-3 was an actual proposal there though.

[Rothman]

I hate I-343.  It must be stopped.  I must stop it.

[Molandfreak]

I hate I-343.  It must be stopped.  I must stop it.

Petition to rename it the Olive Garden Turnpike.

[The Ghostbuster]

Why did you need to stop Olive Garden? Why not just refuse to patronize the restaurants' franchises?

[Rothman]

Why did you need to stop Olive Garden? Why not just refuse to patronize the restaurants' franchises?

Because the damage it is doing to society is too great to be allowed to continue.  Olive Garden must be stopped to redeem their patrons.

[LilianaUwU]

At least it's not I-50 in Georgia.

Yeah but that one was ceremonial and only in existence for a day.

wait what

[ElishaGOtis]

At least it's not I-50 in Georgia.

Yeah but that one was ceremonial and only in existence for a day.

wait what

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Interstate system, Georgia State Route 520 on a portion east of US-17 was designated as I-50 for a single day. There was a big ceremony there and everything according to Wikipedia sorry AARoads Wiki. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20171016221018/http://sp.route.transportation.org/Documents/USRN_Minutes_5-5-06.pdf

(see below for working link)

[Henry]

At least it's not I-50 in Georgia.

Yeah but that one was ceremonial and only in existence for a day.

wait what

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Interstate system, Georgia State Route 520 on a portion east of US-17 was designated as I-50 for a single day. There was a big ceremony there and everything according to Wikipedia sorry AARoads Wiki. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20171016221018/http://sp.route.transportation.org/Documents/USRN_Minutes_5-5-06.pdf

If there was a route deserving of the temporary I-50 designation, that would be US 50 east of Washington. I mean, it already has the number, so why not put it up on an I-shield? Or if you want to get more technical, any freeway in KS would've also worked, like Kellogg Avenue in Wichita, as I got the answer by Googling "where was the first interstate ever built".

BTW, the link was incomplete, so I had to fix it for all to see.

[TBKS1]

I hate I-343.  It must be stopped.  I must stop it.

I love it, and I can't wait to see it get signed. We are not the same.

[Great Lakes Roads]

I hate I-343.  It must be stopped.  I must stop it.

I love it, and I can't wait to see it get signed. We are not the same.

I can't wait to see it get signed as well!

[Bobby5280]

The I-644 thing on the Creek Turnpike makes sense. The "I-343" thing on the Muskogee Turnpike doesn't make a damned bit of sense at all. Where the hell is the parent "I-43" route? If the AASHTO is just going to approve random-ass highway numbers why didn't they just call it "I-351"? The current route number on that turnpike is OK-351. Where the fuck did that I-343 shit come from?

I-340 would have been a more logical designation. While it might have been a stretch, I-342 would have been another possibility considering I-42 will eventually appear in/near Tulsa.

I-44 south of Lawton is finally getting some much-needed attention from the OTA!

Nothing to get excited about. They're just going to try to polish the existing concrete slabs and install dowel bars in the joints. It might make the road less bumpy. The overall project is hardly anything like the complete tear downs and re-builds of main lanes going on elsewhere.

[Plutonic Panda]

They need to completely redesign that whole stretch through Lawton. 3x3 and rebuilt with a complete overhaul.

[Bobby5280]

A 3x3 lanes configuration from Lee Blvd (OK-7) up North thru Fort Sill to the Medicine Park exit (OK-49) would be great. But I don't see such a thing happening any time soon. Not with the way Lawton and the rest of Southwest Oklahoma is treated by the state government.

There are certain times of day when I-44 can get pretty jammed. Surprisingly, the 5am-6am time frame is one; lots of military personnel who live off post are heading to work on Fort Sill all at the same time.

Currently, the most deficient spot on I-44 in the Lawton area is where the Interstate passes by the Polo Field on Fort Sill and the Key Gate exit. The I-44 main lanes have no shoulders on the bridge that passes over Sheridan Road. It's all a very outdated, very narrow, sub-standard design. That crap needs to be torn out and completely re-built in either 2x2 or even 3x3 configuration.

[I-35]

I-343 should have been submitted as I-345, which would (in theory) prophesize the extension of I-45 northward from Dallas into either Tulsa or Big Cabin.

[Bobby5280]

I'm afraid the I-343 bullshit is going to stand as-is. It will be a miracle if someone with any sense steps in and says the number has to change. In the unlikely case that happens, I-340 would be the only designation that would make sense (and comply with that 3xx numbering rule for OK turnpikes).

Changing I-343 to I-345 would be an act of counting chickens before they hatched. I strongly believe I-45 should be extended North along the US-69 corridor in Oklahoma up to Big Cabin. In the more near-future term it should be extended across the Red River to Durant. But it's all up to Texas to push the I-45 designation North of Downtown Dallas.