Interstate 244

This article is about the Interstate in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. For the former I-244 in Missouri, now I-270, see Interstate 270 (Illinois-Missouri).

Interstate 244 (abbreviated I-244), also known as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Expressway (in honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.), the Crosstown Expressway, and the Red Fork Expressway, is a 15.8-mile-long east–west Interstate Highway bypass route of Interstate 44 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

At both I-244's western and eastern terminus, the highway connects with Interstate 44. I-244 runs from the western bank of the Arkansas River, across the river and past downtown Tulsa, before running through the northern half of the city and connecting again with Interstate 44.

In downtown Tulsa, I-244 forms the northern and western legs of the "Inner Dispersal Loop". The southern and eastern legs are formed by the unmarked I-444 (marked as US-75).

Replacement of Westbound Bridge across the Arkansas River

Ironically, the I-244 bridges have already reached the end of their service lives. The westbound bridge was closed and demolition begun in May 2011. Demolition was 85 percent complete as of August 1, 2011. The demolished structure will be replaced by a double-deck, multimodal span. The top deck will carry vehicles and the lower deck will have a pedestrian way and two railroad tracks (to be added in the future). Completion is scheduled for 2013. Extreme care has been used during the demolition to avoid vibrations that might further damage the old 11th Street Bridge.^[4]

Exit list

The entire route is in Tulsa County Tulsa.

References