Turner Turnpike

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Turner Turnpike
Length: 86.0 mi[citation needed] (138 km)
Formed: May 16, 1953[citation needed]
West end: Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City
Major
junctions:		 State Highway 18 in Chandler

State Highway 99 in Stroud
East end: State Highway 66 in Sapulpa
Counties: Oklahoma, Lincoln, Creek
Major cities: Oklahoma City, Tulsa

The Governor Roy J. Turner Turnpike[citation needed] 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 its entire length, but was constructed prior to its designation as the Interstate. I-44 is also the H.E. Bailey and Will Rogers Turnpikes in Oklahoma. The Turner Turnpike was named after Governor Roy J. Turner, who pushed for efforts to build this toll road to connect the state's two largest cities.

Contents

[edit] Route description

The route begins north of Oklahoma City, as Interstates 35 and 44 and SH-66 approach it from the south. I-35/SH-66 split to the north, and I-44 begins its journey eastward as the Turnpike. (Traffic may also travel west at this point, along the John Kilpatrick Turnpike.) It ends 86 miles later, southwest of Tulsa, at a junction with SH-66. The posted speed limit is 75 MPH, making it possible to drive from Tulsa to downtown Oklahoma City in under 90 minutes.

In addition to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa entrance points on the turnpike, other interchanges are located in Wellston, Chandler, Stroud, Bristow, near Kellyville and Sapulpa. Toll plazas are located at each of those interchanges. The toll plaza at Bristow was the first of the new plazas reconstructed incorporating "state-of-the-industry" electronic toll collection (ETC) and other operational features for the convenience and safety of motorists utilizing the turnpike system. Additional toll plazas, similar in design, were subsequently reconstructed at Chandler, Stroud, Kellyville, and Sapulpa.

[edit] Tolls

A two-axle vehicle currently pays $3.50 ($3.35 with Pikepass) to drive the full length of the Turnpike. When adjusted for inflation, tolls have fallen over 60% to 4 cents per mile, among the cheapest in the nation. (In 2005 dollars, the toll was $9.00 in 1953.) However, despite being paid off, the Turner Turnpike will remain tolled, as Oklahoma does not toll its roads on a "per road" basis, instead pooling all toll revenue to apply toward paying off all such projects. This is called cross-pledging, which has allowed OTA to build many turnpikes that would not be economically feasible alone.

The Turner Turnpike (as well as the Will Rogers Turnpike on the other side of Tulsa) uses a somewhat unusual tolling system. The Turnpike has only one barrier toll plaza, located northwest of Stroud. If one exits before reaching this plaza, the toll is collected at the exit. If one's desired exit is located after the plaza, they pay the full toll at the barrier plaza and receive a refund for the untraveled portion of the turnpike upon exit. Travelers exiting westbound at Wellston as well as at the two termini do not receive any refund.

[edit] Services

One of the Turnpike's features is a full-service McDonald's restaurant and EZ-GO gas station in the center of the roadway near Stroud. This and other concession areas along the Turner Turnpike were originally Howard Johnson's restaurants and full-service Phillips 66 stations, but changed to their current configurations in the 1980s as was the case with concession areas along other Oklahoma turnpikes.

Law enforcement along the Will Rogers Turnpike is provided by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop YB, a special troop assigned to the turnpike.[1]

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile # Destinations Notes
Oklahoma Start/end of Turner Turnpike
Lincoln 158 SH-66 – Wellston Westbound 157, westbound entrance ramp contains a service area
Chandler 166 SH-18 – Chandler, Cushing
Stroud 179 SH-99 – Stroud, Drumright
Creek Toll plaza
196 SH-48 – Bristow, Lake Keystone
211 SH-33 – Kellyville, Sapulpa Signed Kellyville, Drumright westbound
Sapulpa 215 SH-97 – Sapulpa, Sand Springs
218A SH-66 – Sapulpa
218B Creek Turnpike east
Start/end of Turner Turnpike

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Oklahoma turnpikes
See also Oklahoma Turnpike Authority · Pikepass