Editing Interstate 44

{{Short description|Interstate Highway mostly in Oklahoma and Missouri}}
{{Redirect|I-44|the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine|Japanese submarine I-44}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox road
|country=USA
|type=I
|route=44
|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=240|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Interstate 44}}}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=I-44 highlighted in red
|length_mi=636.69
|length_ref=<ref>{{cite web |first =  Jeff |last = Price |date =  May 6, 2019 |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm |title = Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2018 |work = Route Log and Finder List |publisher = [[Federal Highway Administration]] |access-date = May 3, 2020 }}</ref>
|established=
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{Jct|state=TX|US|82|US|277|US|281|US|287}} in [[Wichita Falls, Texas|Wichita Falls, TX]]
|junction={{plainlist|<!-- Major junctions only; Only 5-8 most major intersections and cities belong here; please read [[WP:USRD/STDS]] for more info -->
*{{Jct|state=OK|I|40}} in [[Oklahoma City|Oklahoma City, OK]]
*{{Jct|state=OK|I|35}} in Oklahoma City, OK
*{{Jct|state=MO|I|49|US|71}} near [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin, MO]]
*{{Jct|state=MO|I|55|I|64|US|40}} in [[St. Louis|St. Louis, MO]]
}}
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{Jct|state=MO|I|70}} in St. Louis, MO
|states=[[Texas]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Missouri]]
}}

'''Interstate&nbsp;44''' ('''I-44''') is an [[Interstate Highway System|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 Falls, Texas]], at a [[Concurrency (road)|concurrency]] with [[U.S. Route 277 in Texas|U.S. Route&nbsp;277]] (US&nbsp;277), [[U.S. Route 281 in Texas|US&nbsp;281]], and [[U.S. Route 287 in Texas|US&nbsp;287]]; its eastern terminus is at [[Interstate 70 in Missouri|I-70]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. I-44 is one of five Interstates built to bypass [[U.S. Route 66|US&nbsp;66]]; this highway covers the section between [[Oklahoma City]] and St. Louis. Virtually the entire length of I-44 east of [[Springfield, Missouri]], was once US&nbsp;66, which was upgraded from two to four lanes from 1949 to 1955. The section of I-44 west of Springfield was built farther south than US&nbsp;66 in order to connect Missouri's section with the already completed [[Will Rogers Turnpike]], which Oklahoma wished to carry their part of I-44.

==Route description==
{{lengths table}}
|-
|[[Interstate 44 in Texas|TX]]
|{{convert|15|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|[[Interstate 44 in Oklahoma|OK]]
|{{convert|329|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|[[Interstate 44 in Missouri|MO]]
|{{convert|293|mi|km|disp=table}}
|-
|Total
|{{convert|637|mi|km|disp=table}}
|}

===Texas===
{{Main|Interstate 44 in Texas}}
In the US state of Texas, I-44 has a short, but regionally important, {{convert|14.77|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch, connecting [[Wichita Falls, Texas|Wichita Falls]] with Oklahoma. The route runs almost due north to the Texas–Oklahoma state line at the [[Red River of the South|Red River]]. In Wichita Falls, I-44 [[concurrency (road)|runs concurrently]] with [[U.S. Route 277 in Texas|US&nbsp;277]], [[U.S. Route 281 in Texas|US&nbsp;281]], and [[U.S. Route 287 in Texas|US&nbsp;287]] and is known locally as the "Central Freeway". I-44 provides access to downtown Wichita Falls and [[Sheppard Air Force Base]].

===Oklahoma===
[[Image:I-44 okc.jpg|thumb|left|I-44 in Oklahoma City]]
{{Main|Interstate 44 in Oklahoma}}
I-44 in Oklahoma is mostly three separate [[toll road]]s; it is [[parallel (geometry)|parallel]]ed by former [[U.S. Route 66 in Oklahoma|US&nbsp;66]] from Oklahoma City to the Missouri state line. In southwestern Oklahoma, I-44 is the [[H. E. Bailey Turnpike]] and it runs northeast–southwest (and vice-versa). In the Oklahoma City area, I-44 is either six or eight lanes; it runs concurrent with [[Interstate 35 in Oklahoma|I-35]] for about {{convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} in Oklahoma City. From Oklahoma City, I-44 runs northeast–southwest as the [[Turner Turnpike]] towards [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]]. After I-44 leaves Tulsa, it becomes the [[Will Rogers Turnpike]] to the Missouri state line.

===Missouri===
[[Image:I44InterchangeUS71.jpg|thumb|right|175px|I-44 approached by [[U.S. Route 71 in Missouri|US&nbsp;71]] just south of Joplin, Missouri. This photo was taken before US&nbsp;71 was upgraded to I-49.]]
{{Main|Interstate 44 in Missouri}}

I-44 enters Missouri southwest of Joplin near the [[tripoint]] of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. It misses the Kansas border by less than {{convert|200|yd|m}}. The first exit in Missouri is for [[U.S. Route 166 in Missouri|US&nbsp;166]]. I-44 continues through the southern part of Joplin, where it runs concurrently with the new Missouri segment of [[Interstate 49 in Missouri|I-49]]. East of Joplin, I-49 splits off on its own alignment to [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]].

I-44 then continues east on the former US&nbsp;166 to [[Mount Vernon, Missouri|Mount Vernon]]. At the northeast part of Mount Vernon, I-44 heads northeast, while old US&nbsp;166 continued east on [[Missouri Route 174|Route&nbsp;174]]. The section of road to [[Halltown, Missouri|Halltown]] is a completely new road, not bypassing any previous highways. At Halltown, the road follows the general pathway of US&nbsp;66 all the way to downtown St. Louis.

[[Image:Toisign1.png|thumb|left|108px|A nonstandard depiction of I-44/I-55/I-64/I-70 in downtown St. Louis]]
I-44 passes through [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]] on the north side of the city and continues northeast. At Waynesville, I-44 enters a very hilly and curvy area until it passes [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]]. Although the road still passes through some hilly areas, none are as steep as that particular stretch.

At [[Pacific, Missouri|Pacific]], I-44 widens to six lanes, later to eight lanes. The Interstate passes through the suburbs of St. Louis and then into downtown St. Louis, passing the [[Gateway Arch]] before finally terminating near the [[Mississippi River]], continuing from there as I-70 from the west end of the [[Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge]]. Until a future second span of the new bridge is completed, there will be no way for I-44 traffic to utilize the new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial span without first exiting to surface streets. I-44 traffic wishing to continue northeast and east must use the [[Poplar Street Bridge]] and I-55/I-64 to cross the [[Mississippi River]].

At some places, an "Alternate I-44" is posted. One such ran between Rolla and Springfield via [[U.S. Route 60 in Missouri|US&nbsp;60]] and [[U.S. Route 63 in Missouri|US&nbsp;63]], and another ran via US&nbsp;63 and [[U.S. Route 50 in Missouri|US&nbsp;50]] between Rolla and [[Union, Missouri|Union]]. These were completed to provide traffic relief during road work. The latter of these alternate routes detoured traffic around three-hour delays due to road work near [[Cuba, Missouri|Cuba]]. <!--I don't have a reference for this, but I was on I-44 in this area at one time and MoDOT signs did post this delay time-->

==History==
I-44 was originally signed in 1958 as an Interstate designation of the [[Turner Turnpike]] linking Oklahoma City and Tulsa and the [[Will Rogers Turnpike]] linking Tulsa and the Missouri state line southwest of [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]], along with the US&nbsp;66 bypass in Tulsa that linked that city with the two turnpikes and the continued four-lane highway from the Missouri border to an interchange with US&nbsp;71 south of Joplin previously designated as US&nbsp;166.

As US&nbsp;66 was being bypassed by I-44, the [[Route 66 Association]] requested the designation '''Interstate&nbsp;66''' for I-44 from [[St. Louis]] to Oklahoma City; The [[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] (AASHTO) rejected the request.<ref>{{cite book |last = McNichol |first = Dan |title = The Roads that Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System |location = New York |publisher = Sterling |year = 2006 }}{{page needed|date=May 2020}}</ref>

At the time the I-44 designation was assigned in Oklahoma in the 1950s, Oklahoma signed the milemarkers west to east starting at Turner Turnpike's Oklahoma City terminus at the I-44/I-35 interchange (near [[Edmond, Oklahoma|Edmond]]). I-44 was extended in 1982 southwest of Oklahoma City along the existing [[H. E. Bailey Turnpike]], thus raising the milemarkers by about 100. The addition of the new section was unusual in that it is a more north–south segment and did not directly connect to the previous western end at I-35. It now extends south of I-40, an exception to the Interstate numbering rules and its end point does not connect to another Interstate Highway.

What was once [[Interstate 244 (Missouri)|I-244]] around St. Louis is currently part of that city's [[Interstate 270 (Missouri–Illinois)|I-270]]/[[Interstate 255|I-255]] beltway.

During the historic [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak]], an F5 [[tornado]] crossed I-44. This particular tornado had the fastest tornado wind speeds on record. The interstate was severely damaged where the tornado crossed it. In the end, this tornado was blamed for 36 deaths.

A section of I-44 was moved slightly north between [[Powellville, Missouri|Powellville]] and [[Doolittle, Missouri]]. The old road is highly visible for eastbound traffic near Powellville. {{As of|2006|04}}, the rocks carved away for the new roadbed have virtually no [[lichen]], reflecting that this construction occurred rather recently.<ref>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?q=powellville+MO&ll=37.936278,-91.952047&spn=0.026536,0.066261&t=h |title = Aerial photo |access-date = October 4, 2014 }}</ref>

Originally, the eastern terminus of I-44 was at the intersection with I-55, I-64, I-70, and US&nbsp;40, by the Poplar Street Bridge. However, when I-70 was rerouted to cross the Mississippi River at the newly constructed [[Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge]], I-44 was extended about {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} north to end at I-70 at the bridge.

==Junction list==
;Texas
: {{jct|country=USA|US|277|US|281|US|287}} in [[Wichita Falls, Texas|Wichita Falls]]. I-44/US&nbsp;287 travels concurrently through Wichita Falls. I-44/US&nbsp;277/US&nbsp;281 travels concurrently to west-southwest of [[Randlett, Oklahoma]].
;Oklahoma
: {{jct|country=USA|US|70|US|277|US|281}} west of Randlett
: {{jct|country=USA|US|277|US|281}} in [[Walters, Oklahoma|Walters]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|277|US|281}} northwest of [[Geronimo, Oklahoma|Geronimo]]. The highways travel concurrently to east of [[Medicine Park, Oklahoma|Medicine Park]].
: {{jct|country=USA|US|62}} in [[Lawton, Oklahoma|Lawton]]. The highways travel concurrently to east of [[Medicine Park, Oklahoma|Medicine Park]].
: {{jct|country=USA|US|277}} in [[Elgin, Oklahoma|Elgin]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|81|US|277}} in [[Chickasha, Oklahoma|Chickasha]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|62|US|277}} in Chickasha
: {{jct|country=USA|US|62}} in [[Newcastle, Oklahoma|Newcastle]]. I-44/US&nbsp;62 travels concurrently to [[Oklahoma City]].
: {{jct|country=USA|I|240|dab1=Oklahoma|US|62}} in Oklahoma City
: {{jct|country=USA|I|40|US|270}} in Oklahoma City
: {{jct|country=USA|I|235|dab1=Oklahoma|US|77}} in Oklahoma City
: {{jct|country=USA|I|35}} in Oklahoma City. The highways travel concurrently through northeast Oklahoma City.
: {{jct|country=USA|US|377}} in [[Stroud, Oklahoma|Stroud]]
: {{jct|country=USA|I|244}} on the [[Sapulpa, Oklahoma|Sapulpa]]–[[Oakhurst, Oklahoma|Oakhurst]] line
: {{jct|country=USA|US|75}} in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|64}} in Tulsa
: {{jct|country=USA|US|169}} in Tulsa
: {{jct|country=USA|I|244|US|412}} in Tulsa. I-44/US&nbsp;412 travels concurrently to the Tulsa–[[Fair Oaks, Oklahoma|Fair Oaks]] line
: {{jct|country=USA|US|69}} in [[Big Cabin, Oklahoma|Big Cabin]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|60|US|69}} in [[Vinita, Oklahoma|Vinita]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|59|US|60|US|69}} northeast of [[Afton, Oklahoma|Afton]]
;Missouri
: {{jct|country=USA|US|166|US|400}} west-northwest of [[Loma Linda, Missouri|Loma Linda]]
: {{jct|country=USA|I|49|US|71}} south-southwest of [[Duenweg, Missouri|Duenweg]]. The highways travel concurrently to [[Fidelity, Missouri|Fidelity]].
: {{jct|country=USA|US|160}} in [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|65}} in Springfield
: {{jct|country=USA|US|63}} in [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]]
: {{jct|country=USA|US|50}} south-southwest of [[Villa Ridge, Missouri|Villa Ridge]]. The highways travel concurrently to the [[Sunset Hills, Missouri|Sunset Hills]]–[[Kirkwood, Missouri|Kirkwood]] city line.
: {{jct|country=USA|I|270|dab1=Illinois–Missouri}} in Sunset Hills
: {{jct|country=USA|US|50|US|61|US|67}} on the Sunset Hills–Kirkwood city line
: {{jct|country=USA|I|55}} in [[St. Louis]]. The highways travel concurrently through St. Louis
: {{jct|country=USA|I|55|I|64|US|40}} in St. Louis
: {{jct|country=USA|I|70}} in St. Louis
<ref name=randmcnally>{{cite book |author = Rand McNally |year = 2014 |title = The Road Atlas |edition = Walmart |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally |pages = 58–59, 83, 100|isbn = 978-0-528-00771-2}}</ref>

==Auxiliary routes==
I-44 has two auxiliary routes. In [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], there is an [[Interstate 244|I-244]] and an unsigned [[Interstate 444|I-444]]. There was also another [[Interstate 244 (Missouri)#History|auxiliary route]] located in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], but was decommissioned in 1974. It was instead signed as [[Interstate 270 (Missouri–Illinois)|I-270]]. In Fall 2023, the AASHTO approved designating the [[Kilpatrick Turnpike]] in [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]] as I-344.<ref>{{cite web |title=Special Committee on U. S. Route Numbering 2023 Fall Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Street |url=https://transportation.org/route/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/12/Final_Report_USRN_Fall_2023_R_1.pdf |website=transportation.org/ |publisher=AASHTO |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>

===Business routes===
{{Main|Business routes of Interstate 44}}
All business loops of I-44 are located in Missouri. They serve [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]], [[Sarcoxie, Missouri|Sarcoxie]], [[Mount Vernon, Missouri|Mount Vernon]], [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]], [[Lebanon, Missouri|Lebanon]], [[Waynesville, Missouri|Waynesville]]–[[St. Robert, Missouri|St. Robert]], [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]], and [[Pacific, Missouri|Pacific]]. A business spur links I-44 with [[Fort Leonard Wood (military base)|Fort Leonard Wood]].

==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{AttachedKML|display=title,inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-044.html Interstate 44 on Interstate-guide.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020051520/http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-044.html |date=October 20, 2018 }}

{{interstates}}
{{I-44 aux}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Interstate 44| ]]
[[Category:Interstate Highway System|44]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 66|044]]
[[Category:Roads in Greater St. Louis]]