Cimarron Turnpike

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Cimarron Turnpike

Cimarron Turnpike highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
Length59.2 mi (95.3 km)
Existed1975–present
Component
highways
US 412 (mainline) SH-312 (Stillwater Spur)
Major junctions
West end I-35 / US 64 near Perry
Major intersections US 77 near Perry,
US 177 in Noble County
East end US 64 / SH-48 at Westport
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountiesNoble County, Pawnee, Payne
Highway system
  • Oklahoma State Highway System

The Cimarron Turnpike is a toll road in north-central Oklahoma. The route travels 67 miles (108 km), from an interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) north of Perry, to Westport, just west of Tulsa. The route also consists of a 7.2-mile (11.6 km) spur which runs from the mainline southwest to an interchange with U.S. Route 177 (US-177) north of Stillwater.

The entirety of the Cimarron Turnpike is concurrent with US-412 except for the Stillwater spur. At either end of the Turnpike, US-412 begins (or ends, depending on direction) a concurrency with US-64.

The Cimarron Turnpike opened to traffic in 1975. The US-412 designation was applied to the Cimarron Turnpike in 1988.

Route description

The Cimarron Turnpike, carrying US-412, passes through Noble, Payne, and Pawnee Counties. The highway heads east from I-35 to its first interchange, Exit 3, which provides access to US-77. The first mainline toll plaza is just west of Exit 15, a cloverleaf interchange with no straight-line ramps (forcing all traffic getting on or off to pass through the toll plaza) connecting the turnpike to US-177.[1] East of the US-177 interchange, the highway curves to the south, crossing Black Bear Creek.[2] US-412 then meets US-64 once again, interchanging with it at Exit 23 east of Morrison. The turnpike then turns back east, with a spur route (accessible only from the westbound turnpike) branching off to the southwest toward Stillwater. The Lone Chimney service plaza, a twenty-four-hour concession area, is located in the median of the turnpike east of the interchange with the spur.[1]

South of Pawnee lies an interchange (Exit 37) with SH-18. Just south of Hallett, a second mainline toll plaza sits just west of the SH-99 interchange; again, this interchange is a cloverleaf interchange with only loop ramps. The turnpike's final exit is Exit 60, a partial interchange with SH-48 southeast of Cleveland. The missing movements are provided by US-64, the northern terminus of SH-48, which merges with US-412 as the Cimarron Turnpike ends. The two routes continue east as the Keystone Expressway, a freeway that connects the turnpike to downtown Tulsa.[3]

History

The Cimarron Turnpike opened to traffic on May 16, 1975, and cost $74 million to construct.[4][5] On February 1, 1988, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission unanimously approved an extension of US-412 from its original western terminus at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas to Woodward, overlapping the Cimarron Turnpike.[6]

Tolls

As of 2022, passengers of two-axle vehicles (such as cars and motorcycles) pay a total of $7.45 to travel the entire length of the Cimarron Turnpike. Tolls vary based on the entrance and exit used. The turnpike accepts OTA's Pikepass transponder system as an alternative to PlatePay payment. Pikepass customers receive discounted toll rates; the Pikepass rate for the full length of the Cimarron is $3.30.[7]

As of August 30, 2022, the SH 99 toll plaza at exit 48 has been converted to cashless tolling with PikePass or PlatePay as options. The rest of the turnpike (including the Spur) has been converted to PlatePay as of December 15, 2022.

Toll revenues from the Cimarron Turnpike are not necessarily used to maintain it. Under a practice known as cross-pledging, all OTA toll revenue is pledged against the sum of OTA's indebtedness, including bonds financing the state's other turnpikes.[8]

Services

Law enforcement along the Cimarron Turnpike is provided by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop YA, a special troop assigned to the turnpike.[9]

Exit list

CountyLocationmi[10]kmExitDestinationsNotes
Noble0.000.00
US 64 / US 412 west – Enid
Continuation beyond western terminus; west end of US-412 overlap
1
US 64 east / I-35 – Wichita, Perry, Oklahoma City
Signed as exits 1A (north) and 1B (south/east); I-35 exit 194; west end of future I-42 overlap
2.74.32 US 77 – Tonkawa, PerryWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
14.723.715 US 177 – Ponca City, Stillwater
22.836.722 US 64 – Morrison, Pawnee
Payne27.744.627StillwaterWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; access via Cimarron Tpk. Spur
28.545.928 SH-108Proposed interchange[11]
PawneeService PlazaLeft exits and entrances
36.759.137 SH-18 – Pawnee, Cushing
48.477.948 SH-99 – Hallett, Jennings
Westport58.694.359
SH-48 to US 64 – Cleveland, Mannford
Northern terminus of SH-48

US 64 / US 412 east (Sand Springs Expressway)
Eastern terminus; east end of US-412 and Future I-42 overlap; highway continues east as US-64/US-412/Future I-42
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

State Highway 312

State Highway 312

LocationPayne
Length8.5 mi (13.7 km)
ExistedAugust 2, 2021–present

State Highway 312 is an 8.5-mile long (13.7 km)[12] spur from the Cimarron Turnpike that splits from the main turnpike at exit 27. There is one main lane toll plaza near Perkins Road that costs anywhere between $0.45 (for 2-axle vehicles with a Pikepass) to $2.50 (6-axle vehicles without a Pikepass).[13] The spur's western terminus is at a trumpet interchange with US-177 in northern Stillwater, near Oklahoma State University. There is an incomplete access exit at Perkins Road (signed as exit 21A) and the spur starts to travel through rural areas of northern Payne before ending at the main turnpike. The spur was built in 1981 at the cost of $4.5 million.[5] The spur was built as a way for westbound traffic to get to Stillwater and the main campus of Oklahoma State University. Conversely, eastbound traffic uses the spur for faster access to Tulsa from Stillwater.

SH-312 originally bore no numbered designation. On August 2, 2021, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission unanimously approved a motion to apply the SH-312 designation to the turnpike. ODOT Director Tim Gatz stated in the Transportation Commission meeting that the numbering addition was primarily to aid in navigation using digital mapping and routing applications.[14]

The entire route is in Payne County.

LocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Stillwater0.000.0020A US 177 – Perkins, Ponca CityWestern terminus
0.71.121APerkins RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
8.513.7 US 412 / Cimarron Turnpike east – TulsaEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Official State Map (PDF) (Map) (2011–12 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Cimarron Turnpike inset. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  2. ^ Oklahoma Atlas and Gazetteer (Map). 1:200,000. DeLorme. 2006.
  3. ^ Official State Map (PDF) (Map) (2011–12 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  4. ^ Montgomery, Ed (March 21, 1975). "Opening of Cimarron Turnpike To Put Office 'Out of Work'". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 30. Retrieved February 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Bean, Covey (January 17, 1982). "Cimarron Turnpike: A Highway to Disappointment". The Oklahoman. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  6. ^ Oklahoma Transportation Commission (February 1, 1988). "Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Transportation Commission" (PDF). Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  7. ^ Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. "All Toll Rates". Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  8. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (May 5, 2003). "Turner Turnpike paved with early suspicion". Tulsa World.
  9. ^ "Oklahoma Highway Patrol". Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  10. ^ Google (November 18, 2012). "US-412–Cimarron Turnpike" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  11. ^ Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. "Access Improvements". Access Oklahoma. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  12. ^ "OKHighways-Cimarron Turnpike". OK Highways. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  13. ^ "PIKEPASS-Faster, Safer, Easier". Pikepass. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  14. ^ Oklahoma Transportation Commission (2 August 2021). "ODOT Commission Meeting". Retrieved 2 August 2021.

External links