John Kilpatrick Turnpike

This article is about Interstate 344 in Oklahoma City. For Oklahoma State Highway 344 in Tulsa, see Gilcrease Expressway.

Kilpatrick Turnpike
Template:Maplink-road The John Kilpatrick Turnpike highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by OTA
Length:	31.0 mi (49.9 km)
Existed:	September 1, 1991 – present
Component highways:	Mainline
Major junctions
Counterclockwise end:	SH-152 / I‑240 in Oklahoma City
	I‑40 / US-270 SH-66 (N.W. 39th Expy.) SH-3 (Northwest Expy.) SH-74 (Lake Hefner Pkwy.) US-77 (Broadway Extension)
Clockwise end:	I‑35 / I‑44 / Turner Turnpike in Oklahoma City
Location
Counties:	Canadian, Oklahoma
Highway system
Oklahoma State Highways Interstate U.S. Turnpikes

The John Kilpatrick Turnpike, pending Interstate 344 (I-344) signage as of Spring of 2024, is a controlled-access toll road in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The turnpike forms a partial beltway that runs from State Highway 152 (SH-152) and Interstate 240 (I-240) to an interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) and Interstate 44 (I-44). At the eastern terminus, traffic continuing east merges with I-44 traffic, forming the Turner Turnpike. The Kilpatrick Turnpike is 31.0 miles (49.9 km) long.

The turnpike is named after John Kilpatrick who was the chairman of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority in the early 1990s.

Route description

The Kilpatrick Turnpike's entire route lies within the city limits of Oklahoma City. There are no exit numbers assigned to any of the turnpike's interchanges.

The Kilpatrick Turnpike begins at an interchange with State Highway 152 (SH-152) and Interstate 240 (I-240) just west of Council Road in southwestern Oklahoma City. The turnpike heads generally north and west from this interchange, with exits to Morgan Road, Sara Road/SW 29th Street, and a partial interchange with SW 15th street, with traffic exiting from southbound and entering northbound. From there, it angles northeast to a full interchange with I-40/US-270. Another partial interchange is located at N.W. 10th Street, with ramps allowing drivers to join the northbound turnpike and exit the southbound turnpike. The turnpike continues north, passing just east of the Yukon city limits, before making an S-curve to the east, running west of Lake Overholser. The turnpike's first full interchange is with State Highway 66 (SH-66), which runs along N.W. 39th Expressway. North of this interchange, the Kilpatrick Turnpike crosses the North Canadian River. The next interchange is with Wilshire Boulevard. Immediately north of Wilshire Boulevard is the first barrier toll plaza. The highway's next interchange is with SH-3, also known as the Northwest Expressway. The turnpike curves to the east north of here, entering Oklahoma County.

East of the county line, the Kilpatrick Turnpike follows the route of Memorial Road; Memorial splits into a pair of one-way frontage roads during this stretch. The next interchange, at Council Road, allows eastbound traffic to exit and westbound to enter the turnpike. The two interchanges to the east of here, at Rockwell Avenue and MacArthur Road, allow full access. At Meridian Avenue, traffic can exit the turnpike westbound and enter it eastbound. To the east lies an interchange with SH-74, a freeway known as the Lake Hefner Parkway. The interchange only allows direct access from the westbound Kilpatrick Turnpike to southbound SH-74 and from northbound SH-74 to the eastbound turnpike; all other movements must be completed via Memorial Road. The turnpike continues east, with full interchanges at May and Pennsylvania (Penn) avenues. East of Penn, the highway curves southeast, leaving the Memorial Road corridor. The next interchange is at Western Avenue. To the east of here is the second barrier toll plaza. After the toll plaza is the interchange with US-77, a freeway also known as the Broadway Extension. The turnpike then has an interchange at Eastern Avenue. The turnpike then comes to an end at I-35/I-44. Eastbound I-44 splits away from northbound I-35 at this interchange to form the Turner Turnpike, and the eastbound Kilpatrick Turnpike mainline merges into the Turner Turnpike toward Tulsa.

Law enforcement along the John Kilpatrick Turnpike is provided by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop YE, a special troop assigned to the turnpike.

History

In 1987, the Oklahoma Legislature authorized construction of the first phase of the turnpike, between I-35 and Lake Hefner Parkway. It was completed in 1991. In 2001, an extension of the turnpike to I-40 was completed.

On October 29, 2015, Governor Mary Fallin announced that the Kilpatrick Turnpike would be extended south to end at SH-152 near Will Rogers World Airport as part of Driving Forward, a $892 million turnpike package. The project began on January 20, 2018. The westbound direction of the extension was opened January 9, 2020. The eastbound direction was opened on the following dates: January 28 from I-40 to Morgan Road, February 4 from Morgan to SH-152 westbound, and February 14 to SH-152 eastbound.

In February 2021, the OTA announced that all of the turnpikes will be going all-electronic tolling within the next five years, starting with the Kilpatrick Turnpike. This change (known as PlatePay) began on the Kilpatrick in July 2021.

On August 2, 2021, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved the designation of the John Kilpatrick Turnpike as part of an extension of I-240, forming a beltway around Oklahoma City. ODOT Director Tim Gatz stated in the Transportation Commission meeting that the numbering change was primarily to aid in navigation using digital mapping and routing applications. Gatz also said, "If you look at the Interstate 240 designation on the loop around the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, we are finally to the point where we have a truly contiguous route there that can shoulder the burden of some of that transportation need in a loop format. That's common practice across the country, and you'll see that in many of the metropolitan areas, and that update will really be beneficial as far as everything from signage to how do you describe that route on a green-and-white sign." The designation must be approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to take effect.

Future

In Fall 2023, the AASHTO approved for the John Kilpatrick Turnpike to be designated as Interstate 344 (I-344). In March 2024, the OTA announced that it would update signage for the turnpike over the next two months. The current turnpike logo would be removed and replaced with I-344 shields along with the yellow "TOLL" banner. I-240 will not be part of the turnpike; it will instead connect to I-344 via a short extension along Airport Road.

Tolls

As of 25 July 2021, it costs $6.65 with PlatePay ($3.20 with Pikepass) to drive the entire length of the turnpike.

Exit list

The entire route is in Oklahoma City. All exits are unnumbered.

County	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Oklahoma	0.000	0.000	SH-152 / I‑240 /	Counterclockwise terminus; highway continues east toll-free as SH-152/Future I-240 (Airport Road)
			Council Road	Westbound entrance only
Canadian	0.89	1.43	Toll plaza
	1.70	2.74	Morgan Road
	3.60	5.79	SW 29th Street	Northbound exit and Southbound entrance
	3.80	6.12	Sara Road	Northbound entrance and Southbound exit
	5.00	8.05	SW 15th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	5.90	9.50	I‑40 (US-270) – Oklahoma City, Downtown, Yukon, Amarillo	I-40 exit 138B eastbound, 139A westbound.
	7.10	11.43	NW 10th Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	9.90	15.93	SH-66 – Bethany, Yukon
	12.50	20.12	Wilshire Boulevard
	13.12	21.11	Toll plaza
	14.50	23.34	SH-3 / Morgan Road / Hefner Road
Canadian–Oklahoma county line	16.40	26.39	County Line Road	Future interchange
Oklahoma	17.40	28.00	Council Road	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	18.80	30.26	Rockwell Avenue
	19.80	31.87	MacArthur Boulevard
	20.80	33.47	Meridian Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	21.80	35.08	SH-74 south (Lake Hefner Parkway) to I‑44	Signed as one single exit eastbound
			SH-74 north (Portland Avenue)
	22.80	36.69	May Avenue
	23.80	38.30	Penn Avenue	Full name "Pennsylvania"
	24.80	39.91	Western Avenue
	25.64	41.26	Toll plaza
	26.50	42.65	US-77 – Oklahoma City, Edmond	Direct access from US-77 south to the turnpike east opened to traffic in June 2022
	28.00	45.06	Eastern Avenue
	29.30	47.15	I‑35 south / I‑44 west (SH-66 west) – Oklahoma City, Downtown	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	29.40	47.31	I‑35 north (SH-66 east) – Wichita	Left exit eastbound; no westbound exit
	29.70	47.80	I‑44 / Turner Turnpike east – Tulsa	Turner Tpk. (I-44 east) continues beyond clockwise terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       ETC       Incomplete access       Route transition       Unopened

See also

• Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
• Pikepass

External links

• Toll Fares/Chart