The H. E. Bailey Turnpike is an

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. The route, opened on April 23, 1964, is a four-lane limited access highway that connects

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

to Lawton in its northern section and Lawton to Wichita Falls along its southern section, roughly paralleling

U.S. Route 277 U.S. Route 277 (US 277, US-277) is a north–south United States Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 77. It runs for 633 miles (1,019 km) across Oklahoma and Texas. US 277's northern terminus is in Newcastle, Oklahoma at Inte ...

. The turnpike also includes an

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

that leads toward

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...

. Since 1982, it has been signed as a part of Interstate 44, and as such uses its mileposts. Travel along the full length of the toll road costs $5.50 for a two-axle vehicle.

Route description

The H. E. Bailey Turnpike takes a generally south to north route from Wichita Falls to Lawton before turning northeast toward

. The turnpike's southern section begins at US 70, north of the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

state line.

US 277 U.S. Route 277 (US 277, US-277) is a north–south United States Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 77. It runs for 633 miles (1,019 km) across Oklahoma and Texas. US 277's northern terminus is in Newcastle, Oklahoma at I ...

and US 281 leave I-44 at US 70, and together run parallel to the Turnpike. The turnpike runs north-northeast for 15 miles, intersecting SH 5 along with US 277 and US 281. A toll plaza is located underneath the SH 5 overpass; loop ramps feed all entering and exiting traffic into the toll plaza. Just north of SH 5, a Service Area is located in the median of the turnpike, featuring food, fuel, and restroom amenities, as well as an Oklahoma Welcome Center. The turnpike then continues north for ten more miles until it again reaches US 277 and US 281, also intersecting

SH 36 The following highways are numbered 36: International * European route E36 Australia * City Road, Sydney * Domain Highway, Tasmania * Arnhem Highway Canada *Alberta Highway 36 * Ontario Highway 36 * Saskatchewan Highway 36 China * G36 Expr ...

. The turnpike temporarily ends at this interchange, and the two US Routes join a free ODOT-maintained I-44 through Lawton. After leaving the Lawton/Fort Sill area, US Highway 62, having joined the I-44 freeway in Lawton, along with

and US 281, once again leave I-44 at an interchange north of Lawton, marking the south end of the northern section of the turnpike. The turnpike proceeds northeast, coming to an Interchange with US 277 at Elgin. A toll plaza is located near Mile 66. This plaza replaced an older facility just south of Chickasha in 2017. The turnpike continues toward Chickasha, intersecting US 81 and US 277 at the first interchange. A second interchange again junctions US 277, along with US 62 and SH 9. North of Chickasha, a Service Area is located in the median, which provides food, fuel, and restroom services. The turnpike goes north through northern Grady County, coming to a second toll plaza at Mile 97. The turnpike then has a cloverleaf interchange with the Norman Spur and SH 4. The turnpike continues northeast for ten more miles before ending at the interchange of

US-62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian border. It is the only east-west United States Numbered Highway that connects Mexico and Canada ...

and US 277 north of Newcastle where the three routes continue to Oklahoma City as an urban freeway. Aside from the mainline, the turnpike also consists of a extension southwest of Newcastle also referred to as the H. E. Bailey Norman Spur. It connects I-44 and SH 4 to SH 9 and provides a shorter route to

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

when traveling from Lawton. The spur proceeds east from the mainline turnpike, and almost immediately comes to a toll plaza. Two miles east, the turnpike intersects

SH 76 Route 76 or Highway 76 may refer to: International * Asian Highway 76 * European route E76 Afghanistan * Kabul-Mazar Highway (A76) Australia * Gwydir Highway China * G76 Expressway Korea, South * National Route 76 Mexico * Mexican Fed ...

. The Norman Spur ends at the interchange with US 62,

, and SH 9. Traffic coming off the spur continues straight, and is joined by SH 9 which continues the rest of the way to Norman as a divided highway.

History

Ideas for connecting Lawton and

started in 1953. The state highways between Oklahoma City and Lawton, were dangerously narrow, which included many 'cramped, death-trap' bridges. The route was not part of any federal interstate highway system plans, so only a turnpike was feasible. Oklahoma Senate Bill 454, which amended House Bill 933 that authorized creation of the Will Rogers Turnpike, allowed creation of a southwest turnpike and a proposed turnpike connecting Oklahoma City toward

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

, which was later constructed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and became

Interstate 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 Mexican border ...

. Both HB 933 and SB 454 were submitted as State Question 359 and 360 and passed on January 26, 1954. In July 1960, an economic feasibility study was completed for the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and in November 1961, $56 million in bonds were issued for the turnpike's construction. The north section of the H. E. Bailey from southwest Oklahoma City to north Lawton was completed on March 1, 1964. The south section from south Lawton to the Texas border was completed on April 23, 1964. In 1982, as part of Oklahoma's 75th statehood "Diamond Jubilee" celebrations, I-44 was signed through Oklahoma City to the Red River encompassing the turnpike. On October 19, 2001, the H. E. Bailey Norman Spur connecting I-44 to State Highway 9 was opened. The route's namesake, H. E. Bailey, served as the city manager of Oklahoma City from 1941 to 1944, and later as the director of the

Oklahoma Department of Transportation The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is an government agency, agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction and maintenance of the state's transportation infrastructure. Under the leadership of the Oklahoma Sec ...

. Originally, the portion of the turnpike south of Lawton was designed to parkway-like standards, with a slightly mounded grassy median and no left shoulders. It has since been completely upgraded to a cable barrier bordered by left shoulders. In 2021, the Norman Spur became part of

Oklahoma State Highway 4 State Highway 4, abbreviated as SH-4 or OK-4, is a designation for two distinct highways maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. One of them serves as an important route through the suburbs west of Oklahoma City, while the other connects US- ...

Tolls

A two-axle vehicle currently pays $6.25 ($4.50 with Pikepass) to drive the full length of the Turnpike and an additional 70¢ (60¢ with Pikepass) to drive the Norman Spur. PikePass customers get free toll on the Norman Spur if they also pass through the Newcastle Mainline Toll Plaza on the same trip. Lesser tolls are also charged at some entrance ramps where

shunpiking Shunpiking is the act of deliberately avoiding roads that require payment of a fee or toll to travel on them, usually by traveling on alternative "free" roads which bypass the toll road. The term comes from the word ''shun'', meaning "to avoid", an ...

would otherwise be possible. Full toll plazas on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike are located near the intersection with the H.E. Bailey Norman Spur, southwest of Chickasha, and under the overpass at SH-5 (Walters exit). Unattended ramp toll plazas are located at

(Chickasha/Anadarko exit - eastbound exit and westbound entrance only), US-277 (Elgin/Fletcher exit - eastbound exit and westbound entrance only) on the I-44 portion of the turnpike and at SH-76 (Blanchard/Tuttle exit - westbound exit and eastbound entrance only) on the Norman Spur. On June 21, 2022, the H.E. Bailey Turnpike from Oklahoma City to Lawton and its spur to Norman was converted to cashless tolling. The stretch from Lawton to the Texas state line converted to cashless tolling on July 27, 2022.

Services

Law enforcement along the H. E. Bailey Turnpike is provided by

Oklahoma Highway Patrol The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) is a major state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. A division of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the OHP has traffic enforcement jurisdiction throughout the state. OHP was legislat ...

Troop YC, a special troop assigned to the turnpike. The turnpike has two service areas with both located in the median of the highway. The Walters Service Area is located north of exit number 20. The Chickasha Service Area is located north of exit number 83. Both service areas offer food, gas, and a convenience store.

Exit list

Mainline

Southern Segment

H. E. Bailey Norman Spur

Note: Mile numbers on the Norman Spur are posted 100 more than the mile they represent. For example, Mile 4 is posted as Mile 104.

References

External links

Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
{{Oklahoma Turnpikes Toll roads in Oklahoma Tolled sections of Interstate Highways Interstate 44 Transport infrastructure completed in 1964 Transportation in Cotton County, Oklahoma Transportation in Comanche County, Oklahoma Transportation in Grady County, Oklahoma Transportation in McClain County, Oklahoma 1964 establishments in Oklahoma