Interstate 40 (I-40) is an

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

that runs across the state from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. West of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, it parallels and replaces old U.S. Highway 66 (US-66), and, east of Oklahoma City, it parallels US-62, US-266, and US-64. I-40 is the longest Interstate highway in Oklahoma. Cities along the route include Erick, Sayre, Elk City, Clinton, Weatherford, Oklahoma City and its suburbs ( El Reno,

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

, Del City, and

Midwest City Midwest City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,409, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The city was developed in ...

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

, Okemah, Henryetta, Checotah, and Sallisaw.

Route description

I-40 enters Oklahoma near Texola in Beckham County. It crosses the North Fork of the Red River near Sayre and runs through southern Elk City. It then cuts across northwest Washita County before entering Custer County. There, it passes through Clinton and Weatherford. After leaving Weatherford, I-40 then runs across northern Caddo County. After that, it enters the

Oklahoma City metropolitan area The Oklahoma City metropolitan area is an urban region in Central Oklahoma. It is the largest metropolitan area in the state of Oklahoma and contains the state capital and principal city, Oklahoma City. It is often known as the Oklahoma City Metr ...

at Canadian County. I-40 and I-44 Junction

I-40 runs through the southside of El Reno as it enters the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. It then passes through

before entering Oklahoma City city limits. In west Oklahoma City, I-40 has a junction with

I-44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...

. It then runs just south of downtown Oklahoma City on a new 10-lane section. I-40 then interlines with

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexico–Uni ...

at the Dallas Junction complex. This forms a concurrency with it for . After the Dallas Junction, I-40 then passes through Del City and

on the Tinker Diagonal. This provides access to

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, adjacent to Del City and Midwest City. The ba ...

in east Oklahoma City. In far eastern Oklahoma City, I-40 meets I-240 in a partial junction. Afterward, it passes through the northside of

. This marks the eastern end of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. In Henryetta, I-40 serves as the northern terminus of the

Indian Nation Turnpike The Indian Nation Turnpike, also designated State Highway 375 (SH-375), is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road in southeastern Oklahoma, United States, running between Hugo, Oklahoma, Hugo and Henryetta, Oklahoma, Henryetta ...

. In McIntosh County, it crosses the northernmost arm of Lake Eufaula. Afterward, it meets US-69 south of Checotah. Near Webbers Falls, I-40 is the southern terminus of the

Muskogee Turnpike The Muskogee Turnpike, also designated State Highway 351 (SH-351), is a controlled-access toll road in eastern Oklahoma. Route description Opened in 1969, the 53-mile (85.2 km) route begins at the Broken Arrow Expressway ( SH-51) southe ...

. It then crosses the Arkansas River before passing through southern Sallisaw. The Interstate crosses into Arkansas north of Moffett.

History

West of Oklahoma City, I-40 parallels and replaces Old US-66. US-66 was decommissioned in Oklahoma in 1985.

Bridge collapse

The I-40 bridge over the

McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System The McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) is part of the Inland waterways of the United States, United States inland waterway system originating at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and running southeast through Oklahoma and Arka ...

near Webbers Falls was struck by a barge on May 26, 2002, causing the bridge to collapse and resulting in the death of 14 people. Westbound I-40 traffic was detoured through

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manito ...

and Webbers Falls along SH-10, US-64, and SH-100, while eastbound traffic was diverted through Porum and Stigler along SH-2, SH-9, and US-59. Delays of 30 to 50 minutes on the westbound detour were typical, although trains passing through Gore could lengthen wait times by 15 minutes. The eastbound detour added and two hours to the typical trip. Some travelers chose to avoid the area entirely; one

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

trucking firm detoured trucks via Springdale, adding to the trip. The detour significantly impacted the town of Gore. Local firefighters directed traffic there 24 hours a day, with daytime temperatures approaching . Businesses in Gore reported loss of revenue due to the traffic; one

gas station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

reported a 30% decline in revenue while traffic was detoured through town.

2013 tornado

On the evening of May 31, 2013, a very large and powerful

multiple-vortex tornado A multiple-vortex tornado is a tornado that contains several vortices (called subvortices or suction vortices) revolving around, ''inside'' of, and as part of the main vortex. The only times multiple vortices may be visible are when the tornado i ...

occurred over rural areas of central Oklahoma, passing around

El Reno, Oklahoma El Reno is a city in and the county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the 2010 census. The city was begun shortly after ...

. This is known to be the largest tornado ever recorded at wide and was responsible for eight fatalities and 151 injuries. Four of those fatalities were storm chasers, the first known deaths in storm chasing history. This tornado crossed over I-40 at around 6:33 pm CDT after hitting peak strength and maximum width and did a 270-degree counterclockwise loop north of the Interstate, clipping SH-66 before traveling on and along the Interstate, approaching

at a very slow speed. The tornado dissipated at 6:43 pm near exit 130 (Banner Road).

2015 shootings

On December 17, 2015, a Pasadena, Texas, man allegedly shot and killed two people on I-40 near Weatherford, Oklahoma. He was arrested by police in Clinton, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Crosstown realignment

The original I-40

Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway The Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway, aka I-40 Crosstown, is a roughly stretch of Interstate 40 in Oklahoma, Interstate 40 (I-40) just south of Downtown Oklahoma City, running along the Oklahoma River between Agnew Avenue and the I-40/I-35/I- ...

was built in 1966 mostly as an elevated route; however, this former stretch was too narrow for existing traffic and was frequently in disrepair. In response, the I-40 Crosstown Expressway has been relocated a few blocks south of the original route and the original bridge torn down. The project was completed in February 2012. The new I-40 Crosstown Expressway has been designed to carry more than 170,000 vehicles per day traveling at using at least 10 lanes for traffic and has breakdown lanes for disabled vehicles and future lane expansion. When the new crosstown opened in 2012, nearly 95% of non–rush hour traffic was considered 'through traffic' (i.e., not transferring to or from downtown streets). A landscaped boulevard (Oklahoma City Boulevard) was completed in 2019, replacing the original I-40 Crosstown Bridge right-of-way through

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Oklahoma City, similar to the I-30 reconstruction through downtown

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

Business routes and old alignments

I-40 has eight

business route A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route that branches off a parent numbered highway at its beginning, continues through the central business district of a nearby city or to ...

s in Oklahoma, six of which are old alignments of US-66. A number of other old alignments of US-66 are also present west of Oklahoma City. * Interstate 40 Business (I-40 Bus., formerly US-66) in Erick is a

business loop A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route that branches off a parent numbered highway at its beginning, continues through the central business district of a nearby city or t ...

that runs from I-40 west of Erick to the old alignment of US-66, through Erick, and back to I-40 east of Erick. * I-40 Bus. (formerly US-66) in Sayre is a business loop that begins south of Sayre at US-283, runs north into the city, and then leaves Sayre to the east, rejoining I-40 east of US-283. * I-40 Bus. (formerly US-66) in Elk City is a business loop that begins at exit 32 west of Elk City. It runs for through Elk City, rejoining I-40 at exit 41. * I-40 Bus. (formerly US-66) in Clinton is a business loop that begins at exit 65, runs through Clinton, and rejoins I-40 at exit 69. * I-40 Bus. (formerly US-66) in Weatherford is a business loop that exits I-40 at exit 82B, runs through Weatherford, and rejoins I-40 at exit 82. * I-40 Bus. (formerly US-66) in El Reno is a business loop that exits I-40 at exit 119, runs through El Reno, and rejoins I-40 at exit 125, the interchange with

US-81 U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Sta ...

. * I-40 Bus. (formerly US-62/ US-75) in Henryetta is a business loop that leaves I-40 at exit 237, runs through Henryetta, and rejoins I-40 at exit 240, the interchange with US-75 and the Indian Nation Turnpike. * I-40 Bus. in Sallisaw is a business loop that leaves I-40 at exit 308 ( US-59) runs through Sallisaw, and rejoins I-40 at exit 311, US-64.

Exit list

Auxiliary route

I-40 has one auxiliary route in Oklahoma: *: A bypass of the southside of Oklahoma City

References

External links