Oklahoma City Bypass

X2

The Kilpatrick Turnpike avoids almost all of the OKC "mess" on I35/I40. It's around $4 for a MH pulling a toad and worth every penny.

There have been a lot of improvements on I40, west of OKC in the last few years.

Depending on how far west on I40 you plan to go I would take Take exit 50 On I-35 at Wichita Kansas and take W/US-54 to Tucumcari on I40 good road all the way and you avoid I35 and I40 in OK which are notorious for being rough.

40 is like riding a conr cob unless they have done major work in the past year. As to OK city, I have done both ways and thru the city is easier.

Thanks for the info. I'm heading west on 40. By the way, how is interstate 40? I drove it years ago and it was rough to say the least.

SolidAxleDurango wrote:

2stepn wrote:
I'll be heading south from WI. shortly towing a 5th wheel. I am wondering if route 35 south to 412 west to 81 south to 40 west is a good way to bypass Oklahoma City traffic and toll roads?
Thanks for you help and suggestions.
Bill

I guess growin up in Houston tainted me... Even during "rush hour" there isn't enough traffic in OKC to warrant driving ANY out of the way.

LOL

Me too. Kansas City is a lot worse than OKC, which I find no more a traffic problem DesMoines or Wichita.. I use 412 when I'm going somewhere further west on 412.

2stepn wrote:
I'll be heading south from WI. shortly towing a 5th wheel. I am wondering if route 35 south to 412 west to 81 south to 40 west is a good way to bypass Oklahoma City traffic and toll roads?
Thanks for you help and suggestions.
Bill

I guess growin up in Houston tainted me... Even during "rush hour" there isn't enough traffic in OKC to warrant driving ANY out of the way.

LOL

if you want to continue south on I 35, I'd take 412 east just a bit and then 177 south all the way down to Sulphur and get back on I 35 there.
If you're going west on I 40, then get off on 412, go west to 81 and down to I 40.

Time vs traffic hassle? Enid will slow you down in traffic. Kingfisher has a fairly long section of low speed limits. El Reno is still suburban OKC.

I would use OK-51 instead of US-412. OK-33 is also OK, no more than 10 minutes to cross north side of Guthrie, much less traffic than Enid and fewer long traffic lights.

Check OKDOT site for closings and detours, we've been upgrading a lot of small bridges from 1930s-1960s standards to 21st century specs, each project might close a highway 6-18 months.

Any time I can get here to there on either Oklahoma highways or Kansas or Texas higways, I'll choose Kansas or Texas, even if it adds 10-20% distance to the trip.
State and US highways in Oklahoma will have speed limits up to 65 mph, in some cases on roads with 10-foot or 11-foot lanes and narrow grass shoulders next to a deep bar ditch. A lot of these were sub-60 mph before the 55 era, then raised to 65 mph limits in an act of defiance, little consideration for road quality.

On these bypass around routes, expect movement of large equipment: drilling rigs, wind generator parts, oilfield service trucks, manufactured housing, refinery and ethanol plant processing units, all the stuff too large to get permits for travel on the Interstate. Not frequent, but enough to get caught behind something slow moving you cannot overtake, or something coming at you to big enough make you pull off the pavement. A lot of this is local, it moves during working hours and sometimes daytime weekends and holidays.

Fastest way from north without paying tolls in Oklahoma is I-35 to i-44W to I-40W, traffic is not bad 10 AM-2PM or at night, all your exits are from right lane, direction you are going. Some RVers like to use the tollway through OKC north suburbs because traffic is a little lighter, but most of the day what is there tends to be distracted shoppers racing from mall to mall.

Coming in from Wisconsin, using I-35, you'll be paying tolls in Kansas, but those who can comfortably travel 75-80mph think the money is worth the higher travel speed.