State Highway 18, abbreviated as SH-18 or OK-18, is a highway maintained by the
U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
state of
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 ...
. It was once one of the longest state highways in the Oklahoma road system, but now has a total length of .
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
border. Much of SH-18 has been replaced by US-177. The current Highway 18 begins in
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee () is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklah ...
at an interchange with US-177/270 and SH-3W. The highway is known as Harrison Street through Shawnee. After Shawnee, SH-18 intersects with US-62 in Meeker, Oklahoma and then into
Chandler, Oklahoma
Chandler ()Gordon Whittaker, 2005, "A Concise Dictionary of the Sauk Language", The Sac & Fox National Public Library Stroud, Oklahoma/ref> is a city in, and the county seat of, Lincoln County, Oklahoma, Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. a ...
concurrent with SH-66. The highways split after leaving Chandler's business district. SH-18 intersects with I-44 and then travels on to
Agra, Oklahoma
Agra is a town in northern Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 339 at the 2010 census. An early real estate developer coined the town's name from the word "agriculture".
History
Agra began to form around the turn of 20t ...
Cushing, Oklahoma
Cushing (, , ''meaning: "Soft-seat town"'') is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,826 at the time of the 2010 census, a decline of 6.5% since 8,371 in 2000. Cushing was established after the Land Run of 1891 b ...
where SH-18 separates and heads to
Pawnee, Oklahoma
Pawnee (Pawnee language, Pawnee: Paári, ) is a city and county seat of Pawnee County, Oklahoma, Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. The town is northeast of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater at the junction of U.S. Route 64 in Oklahoma, U.S. ...
. South of there, the highway overlaps US-64 for two miles (3 km). SH-18 crosses the
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
Osage Indian Reservation
The Osage Nation ( ) () is a Midwestern Native American nation of the Great Plains. The tribe began in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 1620 A.D along with other groups of its language family, then migrated west in the 17th cen ...
, SH-18 joins with SH-11 at US-60 and remains joined until Shidler, where SH-11 separates. later SH-18 becomes K-15 as it crosses the state line into Kansas.
Old 18
US-177 replaced SH-18 between Dickson and Shawnee in 1967.
Dickson to Asher
US-177 runs roughly on top of the previous SH-18 between Dickson and Asher, Oklahoma, therefore only a few small segments of the original highway remain through that stretch.
Asher to Shawnee
Much of the old highway from south of Asher to
Tecumseh, Oklahoma
Tecumseh () is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. The population was 6,302 by the 2020 United States census. It was named for the noted Shawnee chief, Tecumseh. The locale was designated as the county seat at Oklahoma's statehood, but a co ...
still remains. Remnants of the old highway begin north of the curve just before US-177 junctions with SH-3W, south of the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .SH-39 has been lost due to another bridge being removed.
The existing highway picks up again after a second removed bridge and before intersecting with SH-39 south of Asher. The highway continues north through Asher (here named Division Street) for before again veering east and then once more travels roughly north. The road is mostly intact except for a small area near Pearson, Oklahoma where it is rerouted to cross SH-59. North of Pearson is the Salt Creek Bridge, a 120' long OSHC standard design, built in 1930. Near Macomb, Oklahoma the old highway again travels parallel and very near to US-177. The highway is interrupted once because of the removed Little River Bridge before reaching the Brooksville, Oklahoma area. Here, the highway is slightly rerouted to cross US-177 (veering west) and then heads north toward Tecumseh. The designation "Old 18" ends here as the highway has been absorbed into city streets, although it appears the highway traveled east down what is now Highland, then north on Broadway and continued to Shawnee on what is now Gordon Cooper Drive/Beard Street. Beard Street intersects with Farrall Street in Shawnee, which is the current SH-18. East of this intersection, SH-18 ends and loops into US-177. West of the intersection, Farrall veers north and merges into Harrison Avenue. At this point, 18 continues as a current state highway.
Notes
* There is roughly of drivable road designated "Old 18" between US-177 / SH-3W Junction south of Asher and Tecumseh, although it can not be driven continuously.
* The longest uninterrupted stretch of Old 18 is about , between Asher and the Little River near Brooksville.
* Except for a 1½ mile repaved stretch through Asher, Old 18 shows its original concrete construction (although heavily patched with pavement).
* At its furthest, Old 18 rests 1½ miles east of its replacement, US-177.
* The curved edges and poor drainage of the highway can make it dangerous during heavy rain as it greatly retains water.
* The original Canadian River Bridge south of Asher was in use from 1921 to 1967. It has since been removed.