U.S. Route 169 (also known as Mingo Valley Expressway and Pearl Harbor Memorial Expressway in the
Tulsa Area) is a U.S. highway that begins in
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 ...
southeast of Downtown. The highway runs north into
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 ...
.
Route description
U.S. 169 begins at an interchange with the
Creek Turnpike and
U.S. 64 in
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 ...
.
US-64/US-169 then head north from the Creek Turnpike, and the two routes pass through southeast Tulsa on a due north course, as the Mingo Valley Expressway. Upon reaching the Broken Arrow Expressway (
State Highway 51), US-64 splits off toward
Downtown Tulsa, while US-169 continues north through east Tulsa. The next interchange US-169 has with another freeway is with
I-44; to the north of this, it interchanges with
I-244. As it continues north, US-169 serves as the western terminus of
SH-266. The freeway crosses
Bird Creek
Bird Creek is a stream in northeast Oklahoma. The main creek is formed from the waters of North Bird Creek, Middle Bird Creek, and South Bird Creek, all of which rise in Osage County. The South and Middle branches of the creek converge at Blue ...
on new bridges built in 2015-2016 (replacing a pair of 1960-vintage
through truss bridges) north of I-44.
US-169 then enters the north Tulsa suburb of
Owasso. Here, the freeway's interchange with 2nd Avenue also forms the eastern terminus of
SH-135, an
unsigned highway
An unsigned highway is a highway that has been assigned a route number, but does not bear road markings that would conventionally be used to identify the route with that number. Highways are left unsigned for a variety of reasons, and example ...
.
The freeway continues on towards
Collinsville, where it has a concurrency with
SH-20. North of Collinsville, the freeway ends, and US-169 continues northeast as an at-grade highway. The highway briefly crosses into
Rogers County, then re-enters
Tulsa County
Tulsa County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma C ...
, before returning to Rogers County once again.
In Rogers County, US-169 heads northeast until it reaches the town of
Oologah, birthplace of
Will Rogers
William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...
, where it serves as the western terminus for
SH-88. South of the town, US-169 crosses Fourmile Creek, a tributary of the
Verdigris River; the route will parallel this creek until its source as the road continues north. The highway also runs parallel to a rail line for the remainder of its time in Oklahoma, and several miles to the east, it also parallels the shoreline of
Oologah Lake. As the highway passes through northern Rogers County, the highway bisects the town of
Talala.
Soon after US-169 crosses from Rogers County to
Nowata County, the highway passes through the unincorporated location of
Watova, Oklahoma. The route then enters the county seat,
Nowata.
US-169 Alternate follows the old route of US-169 through downtown Nowata, while mainline US-169 cuts through the eastern side of town. Both branches of US-169 intersect with
US-60 in Nowata. North of Nowata, the highway passes to the west of
Nowata Municipal Airport, then crosses California Creek, a tributary of the Verdigris. Southeast of
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
, US-169 meets
SH-28 at its western terminus. As US-169 continues north, it passes to the east of Delaware and
Lenapah. East of Lenapah, it begins a concurrency with
SH-10, which lasts for before SH-10 splits off to the west. US-169 continues north through unincorporated
Elliott, then enters the border town of
South Coffeyville. In South Coffeyville, the highway crosses the state line into
Montgomery County, Kansas; it continues north towards
Coffeyville.
History
US-169 was first designated through Oklahoma on June 17, 1935.
Prior to the establishment of US-169, the route north of Collinsville was served by State Highway 16;
US-169 replaced this route in its entirety.
Junction list
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
US-169 at OKHighways
69-1
Oklahoma
Transportation in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Transportation in Tulsa County, Oklahoma
Transportation in Rogers County, Oklahoma
Transportation in Nowata County, Oklahoma