State Highway 20 (abbreviated SH-20) is a highway in northeastern
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 ...
. Its eastern terminus is at the corner of Oklahoma,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
, and
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
near
Southwest City, Missouri
Southwest City is a city in McDonald County, Missouri, United States. The population was 937 at the 2010 census, at which time it was a town. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state of Missouri.
History
Southwest City was platted ...
; its western terminus is at
State Highway 18
Route 18, or Highway 18, may refer to:
International
* Asian Highway 18
* European route E18
* European route E018
Argentina
*
Australia
* Waterfall Way
Canada
* Alberta Highway 18
* British Columbia Highway 18
* Manitoba Highway 18
* Ont ...
near Ralston. The highway runs a total length of . It has no lettered spur routes.
Route description
SH-20 begins just north of 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 ...
at SH-18 near Ralston. From there, it heads east through Osage County for 20 miles (32 km) without crossing any other highway. At mile 20.4, it meets State Highway 99 in
Hominy
Hominy (Spanish: maíz molido; literally meaning "milled corn") is a food produced from dried maize (corn) kernels that have been treated with an alkali, in a process called nixtamalization ( is the Nahuatl word for "hominy"). "Lye hominy" is a ...
. East of Hominy, SH-20 crosses Lake Skiatook before passing through Skiatook and entering
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 ...
. Shortly after entering Tulsa County, SH-20 has a junction with SH-11. Four miles later, it has an interchange with
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 ...
. After running through Collinsville, it turns southward onto the US-169 freeway.
SH-20 splits from US-169 north of Owasso. It then enters
Claremore
Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County in Green Country or northeastern Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,580 at the 2020 census, a 5.4 percent increase over the figure of 18,581 recorded in 2010.SH-88 and SH-66 (old Route 66). It connects to the Claremore
toll plaza
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 ...
on
I-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 ...
/
Will Rogers Turnpike
The Will Rogers Turnpike is a freeway-standard toll road in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The highway begins as a continuation of the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa, continuing northward from the I-44/ US-412 interchange there ...
. East of Claremore, SH-20 becomes a divided expressway before intersecting
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 ...
in Pryor. West of Salina, the highway bridges Lake Hudson. In Salina, SH-20 meets SH-82, with which it begins a concurrency.
Headed north from Salina, the two highways begin to cross some mountainous terrain. The highways provide access to Spavinaw State Park, before running through the town of Spavinaw, Oklahoma. North of Spavinaw, SH-20 splits off to the east, running through unincorporated Chloeta and serving as the eastern terminus of SH-28. SH-20 overlaps US-59/ State Highway 10 through
Jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...
. SH-20 then splits off to the east, running to the Arkansas line.
The easternmost miles run north/south along the Oklahoma–Arkansas state line, and along this stretch the highway overlaps Arkansas's Highway 43. The highway continues northward into Missouri at the point where the Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri borders meet, and thereafter becomes
Missouri Route 43
Route 43 is a highway in western Missouri. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 54 midway between Nevada and Deerfield. Its southern terminus is at the corner of Missouri (near Southwest City), Arkansas, and Oklahoma where it continues down ...
.
History
On April 10, 2008, a section of SH-20 in
Rogers County
Rogers County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,240, making it the sixth-most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Claremore. Rogers County is included i ...
Claremore
Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County in Green Country or northeastern Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,580 at the 2020 census, a 5.4 percent increase over the figure of 18,581 recorded in 2010. A section of roadbed was washed away, forming a large crack in the pavement and damaging the guardrail. The highway was re-opened June 5, 2008 after being repaired.