State Highway 66 (abbreviated SH-66) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in 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 ...

, beginning at U.S. Highway 81 in El Reno and ending at

U.S. Highway 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

near White Oak. The highway was designated in 1985 as a replacement for the decommissioned

US 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

. Although most of the highway follows Historic Route 66, the highway follows US 66's final alignment, joining Interstate 44 through Tulsa and Oklahoma City, while older versions of the route follow various city streets through both cities. The highway has retained its importance for most of its length due to its paralleling Interstate 44 which between Missouri and Oklahoma City (except in the cities of Tulsa and Oklahoma City) is a toll road. SH-66 currently has one spur route, designated SH-66B, in Wellston.

Route description

Western terminus and Oklahoma City area

State Highway 66 begins at Business I-40 in El Reno (another old Route 66 segment), concurrent at this point with US-81. From this intersection, the highway heads due east. The highway briefly passes through a rural area after leaving El Reno, before transitioning into the Oklahoma City suburb of Yukon. In Yukon, the route runs along Main Street, and has a short concurrency with SH-4. SH-66 continues east, passing into Oklahoma City, where it becomes N.W. 39th Expressway. SH-66 has an interchange with the Kilpatrick Turnpike on the far west edge of the city. The highway passes just to the north of

Lake Overholser Lake Overholser is a reservoir within the city limits of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Lake Overholser is formed by Overholser Dam on the North Canadian River in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. The lake is west of Bethany.North Canadian River, the inlet to the lake, it crosses from

Canadian County Canadian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 154,405, making it the fifth most populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is El Reno. The county is named for the Canadian Ri ...

into

Oklahoma County Oklahoma County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 718,633, making it the most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Oklahoma City, the state capital and largest ci ...

. N.W. 39th Expressway, still carrying SH-66, forms the main street of both Bethany and Warr Acres, two enclave suburbs of Oklahoma City. The street passes just to the south of

Wiley Post Airport Wiley Post Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located seven nautical miles (13 km) northwest of the central business district of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The facility covers 1,143 acres (463 ha) and has three runways. ...

and provides access to Southern Nazarene University. After leaving Warr Acres, the highway re-enters Oklahoma City. SH-66 leaves N.W. 39th Expressway at an interchange with I-44 and

SH-3 The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engin ...

/ SH-74 (the Lake Hefner Parkway). SH-66 begins a concurrency with eastbound I-44, and for the remainder of its length, it will stay close to the interstate. SH-66 is unsigned through its time on the Oklahoma City freeway system. I-44, while concurrent with SH-66, runs along the north side of Oklahoma City, passing just south of

Penn Square Mall Penn Square Mall is a two-story, regional shopping mall in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and NW Expressway, near Interstate 44. The mall's anchor stores consist of JCPenney, Macy' ...

, and meets Interstate 235 at a

cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

at its northern terminus (north of the interchange,

US-77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, wh ...

continues on as a freeway, the Broadway Extension). I-44 and SH-66 begin a concurrency 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 Mexican border ...

near Remington Park. The two interstates and the state highway head north through the northeast part of the city. At Hefner Road, the routes pass near the

Frontier City Frontier City is a western-themed amusement park in Oklahoma City. It is owned by EPR and operated by Six Flags. The park originally opened in 1958. Frontier City is the third-oldest Six Flags park behind Six Flags New England and Six Flags Grea ...

amusement park. The highways then encounter an interchange which is the eastern terminus of the Kilpatrick Turnpike. This interchange is also where I-44 splits off to form the

Turner Turnpike The Turner Turnpike is a toll road in central Oklahoma, connecting its two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1947 and opened in May 1953, it is the oldest of the state's eleven turnpikes.Everett, ...

. I-35 and SH-66 leave Oklahoma City and enter the suburb of

Edmond Edmond is a given name related to Edmund. Persons named Edmond include: * Edmond Canaple (1797–1876), French politician * Edmond Chehade (born 1993), Lebanese footballer * Edmond Conn (1914–1998), American farmer, businessman, and politician ...

. On the north side of town, SH-66 exits the interstate, while US-77 joins it. SH-66 continues east out of town, providing access to Arcadia Lake. The highway then passes through the town of

Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

, home of the Round Barn, a Route 66 landmark. The highway then serves Luther before exiting Oklahoma County.

Lincoln and Creek Counties

On the west side of Lincoln County, SH-66 produces a business loop to Wellston, SH-66B (below). Just beyond this junction, SH-66 serves as the northern terminus of SH-102. The highway continues east, meeting up again with SH-66B on the east side of Wellston. Near this junction, SH-66 has an interchange with the Turner Turnpike (still carrying I-44). The route continues to parallel the turnpike as it comes to an intersection with

US-177 U.S. Route 177 (US-177) is a spur of U.S. Route 77. It currently runs for 233 miles (375 km) from South Haven, Kansas at US-81 to Madill, Oklahoma at US-70. It passes through the states of Kansas and Oklahoma. Route description Oklahoma ...

. East of this junction, SH-66 passes through the town of Warwick, where it crosses the

Deep Fork of the Canadian River The Deep Fork River (Deep Fork of the North Canadian) is an Oklahoma tributary of the North Canadian River. The headwaters flow from northern Oklahoma City and the river empties into the North Canadian River, now impounded by Lake Eufaula. Course ...

. On the southwest side of

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

, the county seat of Lincoln County, the route is joined by SH-18. The two routes turn north, passing through the core of the downtown area. On the north side of downtown, SH-66 splits off to the east. east of Chandler, the highway passes through the town of

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

. The route next encounters

Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five ...

, where SH-66 intersects State Highway 99 and US-377, which may serve as the northern terminus of US-377. East of Stroud, SH-66 passes into

Creek County Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 69,967. Its county seat is Sapulpa. Creek County is part of the Tulsa, OK Metropolitan Statistical Area. History European explorers tr ...

. The highway passes through the town of Depew northeast of Stroud. The route next passes through Bristow, where it has a brief concurrency with SH-16 and begins a more lengthy one with SH-48. SH-48/66 exit Bristow to the north, with an interchange where they cross the Turner Turnpike. Near unincorporated Bellvue, SH-66 splits away from SH-48 and turns back to the northeast. The highway crosses the Turner Turnpike again (with no interchange this time), then runs through Kellyville. northeast of Kellyville, the highway begins a concurrency with SH-33. SH-33 and SH-66 will remain signed together as they enter the Tulsa metropolitan area.

Tulsa area

SH-33/66 next enter

Sapulpa Sapulpa is a city in Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 20,544 at the 2010 United States census, compared to 19,166 at the 2000 census. The population as of 2022 is 22,205. As of 2019, the estimated popul ...

, the county seat of Creek County and a suburb of Tulsa. In Sapulpa, the two highways serve as the western terminus of SH-117. They then come to the intersection of Dewey Avenue and Main Street in downtown Sapulpa, where SH-33 ends. This intersection also serves as the southern terminus of SH-97. SH-66 continues east through the intersection, joined by US-75 ALT. The two highways intersect SH-117A at its northern terminus, and turn left to continue its alignment. US-75 ALT/SH-66 parallel the Turner Turnpike within sight distance for the remainder of their journey in Creek County. Near the Creek–

Tulsa County Tulsa County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa, the secon ...

line, the Turner Turnpike ends, and SH-66 merges onto the now toll-free I-44. US-75 ALT ends at the merge. I-44/SH-66 cut diagonally through the city of Tulsa. In

West Tulsa West Tulsa is a local name given to an area situated in the west section of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma which includes various communities to the west and south of the Arkansas River. As development between Sand Springs and Tulsa continued in the ...

, Interstate 244 branches off to serve the downtown area. I-44/SH-66 follow the Skelly Drive through midtown. The highways interchange with the Okmulgee Beeline, the

US-75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canada–United States border, Canadian border, wh ...

freeway before crossing the Arkansas River. The next freeway interchange is with the

Broken Arrow Expressway State Highway 51, abbreviated to SH-51 or OK-51, is a major state highway in Oklahoma, United States. It runs for east–west across the state, running from the Texas state line to Arkansas. It is the third-longest state highway in the syst ...

, carrying US-64 and SH-51, followed by the Mingo Valley Expressway, carrying US-169 I-244 then merges with I-44 at its eastern terminus. I-44/SH-66 cross into Rogers County and the suburb of Catoosa, serving as the southern terminus of SH-167. SH-66 then splits off from I-44, initially following an old alignment of the Interstate where it transitioned into the Will Rogers Turnpike. SH-66 then downgrades to an expressway as it passes through Catoosa, home of the Blue Whale. Northeast of Catoosa, near

Verdigris Verdigris is the common name for blue-green, copper-based pigments that form a patina on copper, bronze, and brass. The technical literature is ambiguous as to its chemical composition. Some sources refer to "neutral verdigris" as copper(II) ac ...

, SH-66 intersects SH-266 at its eastern terminus.

Northeast Oklahoma

The next town that SH-66 serves after leaving the Tulsa area is Claremore, seat of Rogers County. In Claremore, SH-66 has brief concurrencies with SH-20 and SH-88. The highway continues northeast through Rogers County, bypassing

Sequoyah Sequoyah (Cherokee language, Cherokee: ᏍᏏᏉᏯ, ''Ssiquoya'', or ᏎᏉᏯ, ''Se-quo-ya''; 1770 – August 1843), also known as George Gist or George Guess, was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American polymath of the Ch ...

to the west and serving as the western terminus of SH-28A in Foyil. The highway passes through Bushyhead northeast of Foyil, and then intersect SH-28 in Chelsea further northeast. The route then crosses into Craig County, where it serves the unincorporated place of White Oak. The SH-66 designation then comes to an end at

US-60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

, which Route 66 historically followed into Vinita.

History

The present-day SH-66 was established to fill the void left when US 66 was decommissioned through Oklahoma in the early 1980s. SH-66 was designated as its replacement from El Reno to White Oak on April 1, 1985. The remainder of US 66 in Oklahoma was overlapped by other highways, principally I-40 and

US-69 U.S. Route 69 (US 69) is a major north–south United States highway. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus (as well as ...

, so the SH-66 designation was not applied to these sections of highway. On July 1, 1991, SH-66 was realigned in the vicinity of Luther. No further changes to the SH-66 designation have occurred since that time. Planned improvements by 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 ...

include reconstruction and widening of SH-66 from two to four lanes from Edmond to the Lincoln County line.

SH-66B

While US 66 was still active, the SH-66 designation was given to a loop route through Wellston. This incarnation of SH-66 effectively served as a Wellston business loop for US 66. This route was first established on June 26, 1934. SH-66B is long.

Junction list

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
SH-66 at OKHighways
066 Transportation in Oklahoma City Transportation in Canadian County, Oklahoma Transportation in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Transportation in Lincoln County, Oklahoma Transportation in Creek County, Oklahoma Transportation in Tulsa County, Oklahoma Transportation in Rogers County, Oklahoma Transportation in Craig County, Oklahoma U.S. Route 66 in Oklahoma