U.S. Route 70 in Oklahoma

U.S. Route 70
US-70 on a map of Oklahoma, highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by ODOT
Length:	289.81 mi[1] (466.40 km)
Major junctions
West end:	US 70 / US 183 at the Texas state line
	I‑44 / H.E. Bailey Turnpike near Randlett I‑35 in Ardmore
East end:	US 70 at the Arkansas state line
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced Oklahoma State Highways Interstates U.S. Turnpikes ← US-69 SH-71 →

U.S. Route 70 (abbreviated US-70) is a transcontinental U.S. highway extending from Globe, Arizona to Atlantic, North Carolina. Along the way, 289.81 miles (466.40 km) of its route passes through the state of Oklahoma. Entering the state south of Davidson, the highway serves Oklahoma's southern tier before exiting the state east of Broken Bow. It serves the cities of Ardmore, Durant, Hugo, and Idabel, as well as Tillman, Cotton, Jefferson, Carter, Marshall, Bryan, Choctaw, and McCurtain counties.

US-70 was first established in Oklahoma in 1926. The highway's initial path (which entered the state in Cotton County, further east than it does today) included several deviations from the present-day route, serving Walters and following a more northerly course between Ardmore and Madill. US-70 did not enter Tillman County until 1945. The modern route between Ardmore and Madill was not established until 1984 when it received the US-70 designation.

Route description

US-70 enters Oklahoma in Tillman County, crossing the Red River from Texas, concurrent with US-183. The two routes head north into Davidson, where they split; US-183 continues north toward the county seat of Frederick, while US-70 turns due east. It leaves Davidson, passing south of the Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area. Approximately 11 ¹⁄₂ miles (18.5 km) east of Davidson, the highway serves as the southern terminus of State Highway 54 (SH-54), which connects US-70 to Hollister. Continuing east from the SH-54 junction, US-70 next enters Grandfield, where it begins a concurrency with SH-36. The two highways proceed east from this junction, leaving Tillman County, US-70 having traveled for 30.78 miles (49.54 km) within its boundaries.^[2]

US-70/SH-36 pass into Cotton County, heading southeast along the southern limit of Devol, which is served by SH-70B, a spur from US-70. US-70 and SH-36 turn back to the east, coming to a junction about four miles (6.4 km) east of Devol, where SH-36 splits away to the south. US-70 then comes to an interchange with Interstate 44 (I-44).^[3] This interchange, I-44 exit 5, is the southern terminus of the H. E. Bailey Turnpike. US-277 and US-281 exit the Interstate at this point, forming a triple concurrency with US-70 as it continues east toward Randlett.^[4] There, the three routes serve as the southern terminus of SH-70C. At the southeast corner of the Randlett limits, US-277/US-281 turn north, while US-70 continues on its due east course. At Taylor, seven miles (11 km) east of Randlett, US-70 meets SH-5B at its southern terminus. Further to the east, US-70 serves as the southern terminus of another state highway, SH-65. US-70 then exits Cotton County.^[3]

The next county US-70 enters in Oklahoma is Jefferson County. The highway enters the county seat, Waurika, about five miles (8.0 km) east of the Cotton–Jefferson county line. On the southwestern outskirts of town, the route is the northern terminus of SH-79, which connects US-70 to SH-79 in Texas. US-70 runs along the southern edge of Waurika, coming to the eastern terminus of SH-5 and intersecting US-81. Leaving town, it proceeds due east across unincorporated Jefferson County for about 21 miles (34 km). The highway then cuts through Cornish and Ringling, intersecting SH-89 in the latter town. US-70 passes into Carter County east of Ringling.^[5]

US-70 heads due east on an arrow-straight route for the next 22 ¹⁄₂ miles (36.2 km) across Carter County.^[6] About 3 ¹⁄₂ miles (5.6 km) east of the county line, the highway passes through unincorporated Zaneis,^[7] where it widens to a four-lane divided highway.^[4] South of Healdton, it is joined by SH-76, which follows US-70 for approximately 2 ¹⁄₂ miles (4.0 km) before splitting away to the south in Wilson. To the east, US-70 junctions with SH-70A, which heads south to link to SH-76 in downtown Wilson. US-70 then passes through Lone Grove before entering Ardmore. It meets I-35 at a cloverleaf interchange (exit 31) on the city's west side. Here, eastbound US-70 joins southbound I-35, while SH-199 toward downtown Ardmore begins straight ahead. US-70 exits from the interstate at exit 29, turning back to the east and intersecting with US-77. US-70 passes north of Lake Murray, cutting across the northern reaches of Lake Murray State Park and intersecting the main lake access road, SH-77S, twice. East of the lake, the highway leaves Carter County.^[7]

After leaving Carter County, US-70 enters the smallest of Oklahoma's 77 counties, Marshall County. After crossing the county line, the highway heads due east for 11 miles (18 km), passing through Oakland and then entering the county seat, Madill. On the north side of the city, US-70 approaches a T intersection with US-177 and SH-199; this is the southern terminus of US-177. US-70 turns south, forming a concurrency with SH-199. The two highways head toward downtown Madill, where SH-199 splits off. At the same intersection, US-377/SH-99 join US-70 as it continues south through Madill, splitting away on the south edge of town. US-70 turns southeast, forming the northern terminus of SH-70F before reaching Kingston. There, US-70 intersects several highways at their termini—SH-32, SH-70B (a spur to Lake Texoma), and SH-70A (a spur to New Woodville and McBride).^[8] US-70 curves back to the east in Kingston, entering Lake Texoma State Park east of town and crossing the Washita River arm of the lake, which forms the eastern boundary of Marshall County.^[7]

Upon reaching the lakeshore, US-70 touches down on Bryan County soil. US-70 heads east, passing along the southern edge of Mead, then enters the city of Durant, the county seat. On the west side of town, it intersects US-70 Bypass, a partial bypass freeway around the western and southern sides of the city. It then has an interchange with the US-69/US-75 freeway before heading into downtown Durant. There, it has brief concurrencies with US-69 BUS and SH-78. US-70 then heads east out of town. In Bokchito, it is the eastern terminus of SH-22. US-70 then proceeds to Bennington, where it intersects SH-70E at its eastern terminus. US-70 heads northeast out of Bennington, then turns back to a due east course to enter Choctaw County.^[9]

SH-209 directional assembly along US-70

The first town US-70 serves in Choctaw County is Boswell, where it junctions with SH-109 at that highway's western terminus. US-70 then bisects unincorporated Unger and Jasper, as well as the town of Soper. East of Soper, the route forms a concurrency with US-271. The two highways come to an interchange with the Indian Nation Turnpike on the western outskirts of the county seat, Hugo. This interchange is the southern terminus of the turnpike; US-70 and US-271 merge onto the freeway continuing south from the turnpike, while US-70 BUS and US-271 BUS continue east into town. US-70 and US-271 follow the bypass around the southwestern quadrant of town. On the southern edge of Hugo, the highways intersect US-271 BUS at its other terminus; here, US-271 splits away from US-70 and heads south.^[10] This marks the end of the freeway; US-70 continues east as a four-lane divided highway with at-grade intersections. US-70 meets the eastern terminus of US-70 BUS on the eastern outskirts of Hugo.^[4] At the eastern limit of town, US-70 meets SH-93 at its southern terminus. The highway then leaves Hugo, passing through unincorporated Fallon and entering Sawyer, where it forms the southern terminus of SH-147. Just to the east of Sawyer is Fort Towson. There, US-70 serves as the eastern terminus of SH-109 and the northern terminus of SH-209. The highway continues east, serving unincorporated Swink, before leaves Choctaw County.^[10]

The easternmost county US-70 serves in Oklahoma is McCurtain County. The road heads southeast, passing through Valliant, before intersecting SH-98 west of Millerton. East of SH-98, US-70 bisects Millerton, then continues southeast through Garvin. It then reaches the county seat, Idabel; here, US-70 BYP heads along the west and southwest sides of the city, while mainline US-70 continues east across the northern reaches of the Idabel city limits. In the northeast corner of town, US-70 intersects US-259/SH-3, turning north to form a concurrency with them (with eastbound US-70 and westbound SH-3 overlapping to form a wrong-way concurrency). The highways proceed to Broken Bow, where they go their separate ways; SH-3 turns west, US-259 continues north, and US-70 turns east.^[11] US-70 reaches the state line west of DeQueen, Arkansas; after crossing the line, it passes into Sevier County, Arkansas.^[7]

History

US-70 was originally designated in Oklahoma on December 7, 1926, as part of the initial slate of U.S. highways established through the state.^[12] US-70 initially entered Oklahoma east of Burkburnett, Texas, proceeded northeast to Randlett, then continued north to an intersection with SH-5 near Emerson, where it turned east, passing through Walters. From Walters, it continued due east into Stephens County to Comanche along present-day SH-53; in Comanche, it turned south along US-81, running through Addington before meeting the present-day US-70 route in Waurika. From Waurika, US-70 followed its present-day route to Ardmore. US-70 continued east from Ardmore along present-day SH-199 and US-177, passing through Dickson and Mannsville before reuniting with the present-day route in Madill. East of Madill, US-70 followed the same basic pathway that it does today.^[13]

In 1936, US-70 was realigned in Cotton and Jefferson counties. A section of SH-32 between Randlett and Waurika was also designated as US-70. The old alignment from west of Randlett, through Emerson and Walters, to Comanche, was given the additional designation of U.S. Route 70N on September 1, 1936. East of Comanche, US-70N followed SH-53 through Loco to an intersection with SH-76 south of Fox; US-70N turned south along SH-76, passing through Healdton and ending at the US-70 junction south of town.^[12][14] This route was relatively short-lived, however; it appeared on the April 1937 official state map but was absent from the April 1938 map.^[15]

On March 3, 1945, US-70's extent through Oklahoma was greatly expanded. On this date, the highway was realigned between Oklaunion, Texas and Randlett; rather than entering Oklahoma near Burkburnett, the US-70 turned north along US-183 in Oklaunion, entering Oklahoma between there and Davidson, before turning east and proceeding along SH-32 to Randlett. SH-32 would remain designated along US-70 between Randlett and Waurika until September 6, 1966.^[12][16]

Between 1945 and 1951, US-70, SH-32, and SH-36's course between Grandfield and Randlett was more indirect than its modern path, including several right-angle turns. This was remedied on September 10, 1951, with the three highways being shifted to a path following a straighter southeasterly course between the two towns.^[12][17]

During the 1980s, US-70 saw several substantial realignments. On July 14, 1981, the highway was rerouted to bypass Hugo; the old route through town became US-70 BUS. Three years later, on July 7, 1984, US-70 was shifted to its present-day alignment between Ardmore and Madill. After these realignments, the highway followed the same basic path that it does today, with no major changes after 1984.^[12][18]

Spurs

SH-70A

SH-70A (7 mi) is a spur connecting Kingston, Oklahoma to Woodville, McBride, and Lake Texoma.

SH-70A in Wilson

SH-70A (0.9 mi) is also an eastern bypass of Wilson.

SH-70B

SH-70B (6 mi) connects Kingston and Lake Texoma.

SH-70C

SH-70C is a spur into Randlett.

SH-70D

SH-70D is a spur to Devol

SH-70E

SH-70E runs parallel to US-70 starting at SH-78 and traveling east, looping north to connect to its parent route near Bennington.

SH-70F

SH-70F connects Madill to US-70 two miles (3 km) west of Kingston.

SH-209

State Highway 209 is a short state highway in Choctaw County, Oklahoma. It runs for 2.25 miles (3.62 km)^[19] from Raymond Gary State Park to US-70. It has no lettered spur routes.

Junction list

County	Location	mi[4]	km	Destinations	Notes
Red River		0.0	0.0	US 70 / US 183 continues south into Texas
Tillman	Davidson	2.6	4.2	US-183	Northern terminus of US-183 concurrency
		14.2	22.9	SH-54	Southern terminus of SH-54
	Grandfield	25.6	41.2	SH-36	Western terminus of SH-36 concurrency
Cotton	Devol	31.4	50.5	SH-70D	Southern terminus of SH-70D
		35.9	57.8	SH-36	Eastern terminus of SH-36 concurrency
		37.1	59.7	I‑44 / H.E. Bailey Turnpike / US-277 / US-281	I-44 exit 5, southern terminus of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike, Western terminus of US-277 / US-281 concurrency
	Randlett	39.4	63.4	SH-70C	Southern terminus of SH-70C
		39.9	64.2	US-277 / US-281	Eastern terminus of US-277 / US-281 concurrency
		46.9	75.5	SH-5B	Southern terminus of SH-5B
		52.0	83.7	SH-65	Southern terminus of SH-65
Jefferson	Waurika	63.7	102.5	SH-79	Northern terminus of SH-79
		66.0	106.2	SH-5	Eastern terminus of SH-5
		67.1	108.0	US-81
	Ringling	89.6	144.2	SH-89
Carter		96.4	155.1	SH-76	Western terminus of SH-76 concurrency
	Wilson	98.9	159.2	SH-76	Eastern terminus of SH-76 concurrency
		99.7	160.5	SH-70A	Eastern terminus of SH-70A
	Ardmore	113.7	183.0	I‑35 / SH-199	I-35 exit 31A–B, western terminus of SH-199, Northern terminus of I-35 concurrency
		117.4	188.9	I‑35	I-35 exit 29, Southern terminus of I-35 concurrency
		118.1	190.1	US-77
	Lake Murray SP	120.1	193.3	SH-77S
		124.8	200.8	SH-77S	Northeastern terminus of SH-77S
Marshall	Madill	139.6	224.7	US-177 / SH-199	Southern terminus of US-177, northern terminus of SH-199 concurrency
		140.3	225.8	US-377 / SH-99 / SH-199	Southern terminus of SH-199 concurrency, northern terminus of US-377 / SH-99 concurrency
		140.8	226.6	US-377 / SH-99	Southern terminus of US-377 / SH-99 concurrency
		142.3	229.0	SH-70F	Northern terminus of SH-70F
	Kingston	147.6	237.5	SH-32	Eastern terminus of SH-32
		147.8	237.9	SH-70B	Northern terminus of SH-70B
		148.1	238.3	SH-70A	Northern terminus of SH-70A
Bryan	Durant	166.0	267.2	US-69 / US-75	Interchange
		167.1	268.9	US-69 Bus.	Southern terminus of US-69 Bus. concurrency
		167.6	269.7	SH-78	Southern terminus of SH-78 concurrency
		168.1	270.5	US-69 Bus. / SH-78	Northern terminus of US-69 Bus. / SH-78 concurrency
	Bokchito	181.5	292.1	SH-22	Eastern terminus of SH-22
	Bennington	188.1	302.7	SH-70E
Choctaw	Boswell	198.3	319.1	SH-109	Western terminus of SH-109
		212.7	342.3	US-271	Western terminus of US-271 concurrency
	Hugo	217.3	349.7	Indian Nation Turnpike / US-70 Bus.	Interchange, southern terminus of the Indian Nation Tpk., exit 1, western terminus of US-70 Bus.
		220.7	355.2	US-271 / US-271 Bus.	Eastern terminus of US-271 concurrency, southern terminus of US-271 Bus.
		223.4	359.5	US-70 Bus.	Eastern terminus of US-70 Bus.
		223.8	360.2	SH-93	Southern terminus of SH-93
	Sawyer	230.2	370.5	SH-147	Southern terminus of SH-147
	Fort Towson	235.5	379.0	SH-109	Eastern terminus of SH-109
		236.8	381.1	SH-209	Northern terminus of SH-209
McCurtain		249.7	401.9	SH-98
	Idabel	262.3	422.1	US-70 Byp.
		266.3	428.6	US-259 / SH-3	Southern terminus of US-259 / SH-3 concurrency
	Broken Bow	274.1	441.1	US-259 / SH-3	Northern terminus of US-259 / SH-3 concurrency
Oklahoma–Arkansas state line		289.8	466.4	US 70 continues east into Arkansas
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

References

Route map: Bing

1. ↑ Oklahoma Department of Transportation. "State Highway System: Log of U.S. Highway 70" (PDF). Retrieved September 30, 2013. 
2. ↑ Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – Tillman County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 25, 2013. 
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – Cotton County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 25, 2013. 
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Google (September 29, 2013). "US-70—Texas to Madill" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 29, 2013. 
   Google (September 30, 2013). "US-70—Madill to Arkansas" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 30, 2013. 
   Google (2013-09-30). "US-70 in Randlett" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2013-09-30. 
5. ↑ Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – Jefferson County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 26, 2013. 
6. ↑ Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – Carter County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 27, 2013. 
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Oklahoma Atlas and Gazetteer (Map). 1:200,000. DeLorme. 2006. 
8. ↑ Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – Marshall County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 28, 2013. 
9. ↑ Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – Bryan County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 28, 2013. 
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – Choctaw County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 29, 2013. 
11. ↑ Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2012-01-01). Control Section Maps – McCurtain County (PDF) (Map) (2012–2013 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 29, 2013. 
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Planning & Research Division. "Memorial Dedication & Revision History - US-70". Retrieved December 26, 2013. 
13. ↑ Oklahoma State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1928 ed.). Oklahoma State Highway Department. Retrieved December 26, 2013. 
14. ↑ Map Showing Condition of Improvement of the State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (April 1937 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Highways. Retrieved December 31, 2013. 
15. ↑ Map Showing Condition of Improvement of the State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (April 1938 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Highways. Retrieved December 31, 2013. 
16. ↑ Map of Oklahoma's State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1948 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Highways. Retrieved December 31, 2013. 
17. ↑ Map of Oklahoma's State Highway System (PDF) (Map) (1951 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Highways. Retrieved December 31, 2013. 
18. ↑ Official State Map (PDF) (Map) (1985 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 31, 2013. 
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Oklahoma Department of Transportation (2010-01-01). Control Section Maps – Choctaw County (PDF) (Map) (2010–2011 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 16, 2012. 

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