U.S. Route 81 (Oklahoma)

U.S. Route 81 (US-81) is a north–south U.S. highway running through the central United States' Great Plains region, from Fort Worth, Texas to the U.S.–Canadian border at Pembina, North Dakota. A segment of the highway lies within the state of Oklahoma. US-81 crosses the Red River from Texas south of Terral, passing through several Oklahoma cities, such as Chickasha, El Reno, Kingfisher, and Enid, before entering Kansas north of Renfrow.

The route of US-81 was originally served by the Chisholm Trail, which was used to drive cattle from Texas to Abilene, Kansas. US-81 was established as a primary route of the U.S. highway system at the time of the system's original designation. US-81 was established through Oklahoma on December 7, 1926.

Route description

US-81 enters the state of Oklahoma from Montague County, Texas by crossing a bridge across the Red River into Jefferson County. Just north of the river, the highway passes through Terral, its first Oklahoma town. The route takes a due north course north of Terral, with a Union Pacific rail line, which US-81 will parallel throughout its time in Oklahoma, lying just to the west of the highway, and the Red River running to the west of that. US-81 has its first highway junction in Oklahoma in Ryan, where it serves as the western terminus of State Highway 32 (SH-32). North of Ryan, the highway begins paralleling Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Red River, and bypasses Sugden to the east. US-81 intersects US-70 on the southeastern outskirts of Waurika, the county seat of Jefferson County. As US-81 passes north of the town, it begins roughly following the course of Cow Creek, which spills into Beaver Creek in Waurika. The highway curves northeast to bisect Addington before returning to a due north course as it enters Stephens County.

From the Jefferson–Stephens county line, US-81 takes a due north course to Comanche, where it meets SH-53. Upon leaving Comanche, US-81 curves northwest before resuming its course to the north, passing through the gap between Sunray and Empire City. The highway then enters Duncan, the Stephens County seat, where US-81 passes through town on 16th Street. US-81's intersection with Thirteenth Street is the southern terminus of SH-81A, a loop route serving downtown Duncan. Further north, an interchange offers travelers an opportunity to join the Duncan Bypass, which parallels US-81 to the west. At this same interchange, eastbound SH-7 toward Davis can be accessed, while westbound SH-7 forms a concurrency with US-81, proceeding north on 16th Street. At the two highways' intersection with Main Street, they serve as the western terminus of SH-81A. US-81/SH-7 continue north through Duncan to the city's northern limit, where SH-7 splits away to the west, bound for Lawton. US-81 continues north, entering Marlow. In Marlow, the route serves as the western terminus of SH-29. US-81 then continues north out of Stephens County.

The next county that US-81 serves is Grady County. The highway heads due north from the county line to the outskirts of Rush Springs, where its only business route continues north to serve the town. Mainline US-81 veers away to the west, bypassing Rush Springs. Along this bypass, the highway intersects SH-17. US-81 then reunites with its business loop as it leaves the Rush Springs area. The road runs just west of Agawam before coming to Ninnekah, where US-277 and SH-19 join US-81 in a concurrency. SH-19 splits away from US-81 further north in Ninnekah, while US-277 follows US-81 north into the city of Chickasha. On the south end of Chickasha, US-81/US-277 have an interchange with Interstate 44 (I-44), which at this point is following the H.E. Bailey Turnpike, a toll road serving southwestern Oklahoma. The two highways follow 4th Street north to downtown, where they split ways at Choctaw Avenue, which carries US-62 and SH-9; US-277 turns east along Choctaw, while US-81 turns west. US-81, accompanied by US-62 and SH-9, proceeds west, crossing over the Stillwater Central Railroad as well as Line Creek. On the west edge of Chickasha, US-81 splits away from US-62/SH-9, turning north as a two-lane highway. The route then crosses the Washita River and continues north through the incorporated town of Pocasset. Further north, in Minco, the highway begins a brief concurrency with SH-37. After following US-81, SH-37 splits away to the west, while SH-152 joins US-81 at the same intersection. The two highways then cross the Canadian River

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