Will Rogers Turnpike
Encyclopedia
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
in northeast Oklahoma that runs from Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
to the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
state line. It is 88 miles (141.6 km) long and costs $4.00 to drive one way. The Will Rogers Turnpike opened to traffic on June 28, 1957 and was designated as I-44 in 1958 along with the Turner Turnpike
Turner Turnpike
The Governor Roy J. Turner Turnpike is a toll road in central Oklahoma, connecting its two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. It was authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1947 and opened in May, 1953, it is the oldest of the state's ten turnpikes. The route is signed as Interstate 44 for...
connecting Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Design
Because the Will Rogers Turnpike was built prior to authorization of the Interstate Highway SystemInterstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
(in 1956), it uses a different set of design standards than are now current. As the road has been rebuilt, this is being brought in line with current design practice.
The original route of the Turnpike continued straight into and through Tulsa, becoming Skelly Drive in town (where tolls are not charged). In recent years with construction of the Creek Turnpike
Creek Turnpike
The Creek Turnpike is a partial beltway as a toll road around southern and eastern Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is long; its northern terminus is at the Will Rogers Turnpike, while the western terminus is at the Turner Turnpike...
, the westernmost portion of the Will Rogers Turnpike was deleted so that the Creek and Will Rogers Turnpikes essentially form one road, with motorists required to exit at a standard cloverleaf interchange to stay on I-44. The new alignment adds over a mile of additional travel to motorists and truckers wishing to continue on I-44, encouraging them to instead remain on a toll facility for the duration of their journey (The Creek Turnpike takes a very roundabout route around Tulsa). The old pavement is now used as a training ground for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Oklahoma Highway Patrol
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is a major state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. It is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol was legislatively created in 1937 due to the growing problem of motor vehicle accidents, the expansion of a...
, among others.
Exit list
| County | Location | Mile | # Exit number An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore.... |
Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers Rogers County, Oklahoma Rogers County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 86,905. Its county seat is Claremore. The county was originally created in 1906 and named Cooweescoowee... |
248 | – Port of Catoosa | |||
| 255 | |||||
| Mayes Mayes County, Oklahoma Mayes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was named for Samuel Houston Mayes, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1895 to 1899. According to the 2010 census the population was 41,259, a 7.5 percent increase from 2000, when the population was 38,369... |
269 | , S. Grand Lake | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
| Craig Craig County, Oklahoma Craig County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 15,029, a gain of 0.5 percent from 14,950 in 2000. Its county seat is Vinita.Craig County was organized in 1907.-History:... |
283 | ||||
| Toll plaza | |||||
| 289 | |||||
| Ottawa Ottawa County, Oklahoma Ottawa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 33,194. Its county seat is Miami. It was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.Ottawa County was established in 1907.-Geography:... |
302 | ||||
| 313 | |||||
Services
One unique feature is a McDonald'sVinita, Oklahoma McDonald's
Self-billed as the "World's Largest," the 29,135 ft² McDonald's that spans the Will Rogers Turnpike of I-44 near Vinita, Oklahoma is a notable example of a U.S. roadside restaurant....
(formerly called the "Glass House," and owned by the now-defunct Interstate Hosts
Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company
The Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company was a business which developed at the beginning of the twentieth century to provide services to travelers aboard passenger trains...
company) that sits over the turnpike, and one can see the traffic passing beneath. The McDonalds is purported to be the "world's largest." (the McDonalds on International Drive
International Drive
International Drive is the main tourist strip of Orlando, Florida, located several miles southwest of proper Downtown Orlando in the southernmost limits of the city...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, believed by some to be the largest, actually purports only to have the largest PlayPlace).
Law enforcement along the Will Rogers Turnpike is provided by Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Oklahoma Highway Patrol
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is a major state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. It is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol was legislatively created in 1937 due to the growing problem of motor vehicle accidents, the expansion of a...
Troop XA, a special troop assigned to the turnpike.
See also
- Will RogersWill RogersWilliam "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
- Pikepass
- Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
- Vinita, Oklahoma McDonald'sVinita, Oklahoma McDonald'sSelf-billed as the "World's Largest," the 29,135 ft² McDonald's that spans the Will Rogers Turnpike of I-44 near Vinita, Oklahoma is a notable example of a U.S. roadside restaurant....