State Highway 99, abbreviated SH-99, is a north–south state highway through central Oklahoma. It runs from the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
overlap
Overlap may refer to:
* In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram.
* In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases
* O ...
s US-377 for over half its length.
SH-99 continues as K-99 after crossing the border into Kansas. This road continues for to the Nebraska border, where it becomes Nebraska Highway 99, which lasts an additional . Thus, SH-99 is part of a triple-state highway numbered "99", which lasts a total of .
State Highway 99 began as State Highway 48, a short highway connecting
Ada
Ada may refer to:
Places
Africa
* Ada Foah, a town in Ghana
* Ada (Ghana parliament constituency)
* Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria
Asia
* Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...
to Holdenville. This highway was gradually expanded until it became a border-to-border route. In 1938, it was renumbered to match K-99, which was renumbered from K-11 the same day.
Grayson County, Texas
Grayson County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 135,543. The county seat is Sherman, Texas, Sherman. The county was founded in 1846 and is named ...
into
Marshall County, Oklahoma
Marshall County is a county located on the south central border of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,840. Its county seat is Madill. The county was created at statehood in 1907 from the former Pickens County of the Chicka ...
. This is the southern terminus of SH-99, which will
concur
In Western jurisprudence, concurrence (also contemporaneity or simultaneity) is the apparent need to prove the simultaneous occurrence of both ("guilty action") and ("guilty mind"), to constitute a crime; except in crimes of strict liability ...
with US-377 all the way to the U.S. highway's northern terminus in Stroud, a distance of . The highways' first junction in Oklahoma is with State Highway 32 south of Madill. Five miles north of this intersection, US-377/SH-99 serve as the northern terminus for SH-99C, a child route of SH-99. The routes then head into Madill, where they form a brief concurrency with US-70 and SH-199. US-377/SH-99 head northeast out of town and enter Johnston County.
West of Tishomingo, US-377/SH-99 pick up SH-22, which follows them east to the county seat. The same junction in Tishomingo where SH-22 splits away is also the northern terminus of SH-78. north of Tishomingo, the routes share a short concurrency with SH-7. US-377/SH-99 go without another highway junction, which is with SH-99A, a spur to unincorporated Harden City.
The two highways interchange with
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 engi ...
, a freeway at this point, near Ahloso. US-377/SH-99 merge onto the freeway, which becomes the Richardson Loop around the west side of
Ada
Ada may refer to:
Places
Africa
* Ada Foah, a town in Ghana
* Ada (Ghana parliament constituency)
* Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria
Asia
* Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...
. At the southwest corner of the loop, SH-1 joins. further north, an interchange serves as the western terminus of SH-19; also at this interchange, SH-3 splits into SH-3E and SH-3W, the latter of which exits the highway to concur with SH-19. At the next interchange, SH-1 splits off, and the freeway downgrades to expressway.
The highway crosses 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 .Seminole County north of Byng. Just after the bridge, US-377/SH-3E/99 intersect SH-39 and SH-56; this is their eastern and western termini respectively. Near Bowlegs, SH-59 joins the concurrency, splitting off again after . As the road enters
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
, it has an interchange with US-270, where SH-3E splits off. SH-9 also is accessible by interchange in Seminole. US-377/SH-99 encounter another spur of the latter, SH-99A, in unincorporated Little. The routes then have an interchange at
I-40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
, Exit 200.
US-377/SH-99 cross over the
North Canadian River
The North Canadian River is a river, long, in Oklahoma in the United States. It is a tributary of the Canadian River, draining an area of U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset/Watershed Boundary Dataset, area data covering North ...
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. The two routes do not encounter another highway for , after which lies the town of Stroud, the northern terminus of US-377.
Stroud and the end of US-377
In Stroud, SH-99 has two highway junctions, one of which is the northern terminus of US-377. In central Stroud, the highway meets SH-66, formerly the celebrated Route 66. An interchange with
Interstate 44
Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major 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 Fal ...
, 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, ...
, is north of the SH-66 junction.
Signage in Stroud is unclear on where the northern terminus of US-377 is, implying that it continues north of SH-66 to at least I-44. ODOT sources differ on where the northern terminus of the highway is. According to the Control Section Map Book, the north end of US-377 is at SH-66. Another map published by ODOT of Stroud implies that the route extends north of the ramps to and from I-44 to at least the bridge over the turnpike. The US-377 highway log shows US-377 ending at I-44. The inset strip map of the Turner Turnpike on the ODOT state map omits US-377 entirely.
North of Stroud
Seventeen miles north of Stroud, the now-independent SH-99 meets State Highway 33, which it overlaps for to the town of Drumright. SH-99 bypasses Drumright to the northwest, after which it meets up with an old alignment leading back to Drumright and SH-33, now numbered SH-99B but unsigned. After turning back north, it crosses the Cimarron River at Oilton, and has an interchange with the
Cimarron Turnpike
The Cimarron Turnpike is a toll road in north-central Oklahoma. The route travels , from an interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) north of Perry, to Westport, just west of Tulsa. The route also consists of a spur which runs from the mai ...
between
Jennings
Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include:
*Jennings (Swedish noble family)
A–G
*Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...
and Hallett.
It is then concurrent with US-64 for before passing through
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, where it 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 the western United Stat ...
. Throughout its final , in Osage County, the highway passes through a relatively sparse region, though it meets State Highway 20 in Hominy and overlaps SH-11 south of
Pawhuska
Pawhuska ( osa, 𐓄𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘 / hpahúska, ''meaning: "White Hair"'', iow, Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief, ''Paw-Hiu-Skah'', ...
(the county seat) and US-60 north of the city. Its final junction is with SH-10 south of the Oklahoma–Kansas border.
History
The original SH-48
State Highway 99 traces its roots back to the first State Highway 48, which was first established on January 19, 1927. This highway connected Ada to Holdenville; it roughly followed present-day SH-99 until about 2 miles north 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 . The 1928 state highway map shows the highway extended to SH-9 (now US-62) near Prague along the present-day SH-99 alignment, with the Canadian River crossing as a toll bridge. By January 1, 1929, the route had been realigned to pass through Konawa. The old designation between the Canadian River and SH-3 was replaced shortly after by SH-56.
In 1931, SH-48 was greatly expanded. The route was extended northward to US-66 in Stroud. At its southern end, it was extended along a new alignment, which began at SH-19, present day SH-3, southeast of Ada and ran through Tishomingo and Madill to end at the Red River northwest of Denison, Texas, where it met Texas State Highway 91. Also that year, a second section of SH-48 was established, taking over a large portion of what was then SH-25; the remainder of the route was integrated into US-60.
On March 1, 1932, a new section of road was designated as State Highway 48, connecting Stroud to SH-33 west of Drumright. As a result, the SH-48 designation was able to follow existing roads to link up with its previously-disconnected northern section. Thus, SH-48 became a border-to-border highway, linking Texas and its SH-91 to K-11 at the Kansas state line.
Renumbering and realignments
On May 17, 1938, both Kansas and Oklahoma renumbered K-11 and OK-48 respectively to bear the number "99", providing continuity between the states. At this time, SH-99 followed the same basic corridor of the present-day route from Madill north to Kansas. However, SH-48's designation was still in use from May 1938 to February 1941. The SH-48 designation was then made into the route passing through Konawa, which the SH-99 designation bypassed. After SH-48 was discontinued, however, it would only remain discussed for just under three years, SH-48 resurfacing for a route only east of SH-99. The portion of SH-48 from SH-99 to Konawa would later become part of SH-39.
In January 1944, Denison Dam was placed into operation, creating Lake Texoma. As a result, a portion of SH-99 between Madill and Texas was inundated. On May 5, 1958, the route was realigned to once again reach Texas; it now crossed a bridge further upstream, connecting to
Texas State Highway 10
State Highway 10 (SH 10) runs from SH 183 in Euless to the intersection of I-820, SH 121 and SH 183 in Hurst. This highway was created when a portion of SH 183 was rerouted on August 29, 1979. It is locally known as Hurst Boulevard and ...
, which was subsequently renumbered to TX-99.
The existing route of SH-99 (concurrent with SH-3) veered west by about to once again serve the town of Konawa before cutting back northeast to continue the highway's previous heading. This was remedied on December 9, 1968, when the highway was changed to a straighter alignment bypassing Konawa. The old road heading west into Konawa became part of SH-39.
Another bypass occurred in 1977, this time in Drumright. SH-99 was changed to bypass the town on February 7, 1977, and the old alignment that was not part of SH-33 became SH-99B.
Designation as US-377
The Oklahoma Department of Highways had proposed portions of State Highway 99 for inclusion in the
United States Numbered Highways
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these ...
system several times. One such application made in 1953 suggested that the entirety of SH-99 become a U.S. Route, while another suggested a northern terminus at US-64 near Cleveland. On June 18, 1964, AASHTO accepted an extension of US-377 from Texas to US-70 in Madill. The Department of Highways, and later the Department of Transportation, submitted an application to extend US-377 from Madill to US-64 in Cleveland eight times between December 1964 and 1980.
In 1991, ODOT signed the route to Stroud along SH-99 without AASHTO approval.
Spurs
SH-99 has two lettered spurs:
* SH-99A is a designation for two distinct highways:
** A connector highway from US-377/SH-99 to the unincorporated town of Harden City. It was originally known as SH-61A.
** A highway that runs from west of Little, Oklahoma to SH-3E, east to SH-48 near Bearden.
* SH-99B has one previous and one present highway
** A -long highway in Drumright, connecting SH-33 north to SH-99, forming the east edge of a loop around town. It is a former alignment of SH-99.
** Former route commissioned in 1948 connecting Bowlegs to Wewoka. It was renumbered to SH-59 in 1965 to extend SH-59 from its former terminus 3 miles north of Bowlegs
* SH-99C connects US-377/SH-99 in Madill to SH-32 near Lake Texoma.
* SH-99D was a loop north of
Hominy, Oklahoma
Hominy ( Osage: ''Hą́mąðį'' "night-walker") is a city in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,565 at the 2010 census, a 38 percent increase over the figure of 2,584 recorded in 2000.
The town was the home of an all-Na ...
serving the nearby state
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...
, Connors Correctional Center. The loop was decommissioned in the 1990s, and the bridge over Bird Creek is no longer passable.