U.S. Route 77 in Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
In Oklahoma, U.S. Highway 77 runs north–south, paralleling Interstate 35
, connecting Texas to Kansas and running for 268 miles (431 km) through the central part of the state. It passes through many major cities, including Ardmore
, Oklahoma City
and its suburbs, Guthrie
, and Ponca City
. It has four lettered spur routes.
US-77 was the first highway in Oklahoma to be paved entirely across the state from border to border. It has been a paved roadway since 1930.
. It junctions with State Highway 32
on the west side of Marietta
.
North of Marietta, US-77 passes to the west of Lake Murray and its state park. It then enters Carter County
and Ardmore, where it is named Commerce Street through the city limits over a four-lane divided thoroughfare that includes frontage roads on each side from just south of SH-199
(West Broadway) to NW 12th Street much like a freeway or expressway, though all intersections on Commerce are at-grade.
North of Ardmore, US-77 continues as a four-lane divided highway to Springer. It crosses State Highway 53
south of Springer
. North of Springer, US-77 reverts to a two-lane highway and enters the Arbuckle Mountains
, providing access to Turner Falls and having some hairpin curves over a section of roadway paved and constructed in the 1920s using prison labor from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. It then passes through Davis
(where it has a brief concurrency
with State Highway 7
. North of Davis, it passes through unincorporated Joy
and passes through Wynnewood
, where it carries State Highway 29
. It then passes through Pauls Valley
, Paoli
, and Wayne
. Next, it enters Purcell
, where it concurs with State Highway 39
and 74
.
US-77 and SH-39 split off SH-74 to head eastbound along Washington St. in downtown Purcell. Together, they cross the James C. Nance Memorial Bridge
into Lexington
, where SH-39 splits off. It then heads through Slaughterville
and Noble
before entering Norman
.
A major reconstruction on US-77 through Norman
completed in April 2009 has realigned US-77 to 12th Avenue East from SH-9 to Tecumseh Road, then west along Tecumseh Road to Flood Avenue, and finally north along Flood Avenue until it merges onto Northbound Interstate-35, the interchange of US-77 and Interstate-35 was modernized and upgraded as part of the widening to six lanes of Interstate-35 to Norman. It formerly ran through downtown Norman along Classen Boulevard, Porter Avenue then west along Robinson Street to Flood Avenue. The north–south section of the new alignment along 12th Avenue was previously flagged as SH-77H.
I-35 and US-77 remain together until the Fort Smith Junction in downtown Oklahoma City, where it transfers onto Interstate 235
. At Interstate 44, I-235 ends, but US-77 continues northbound as a freeway, called the Broadway Extension. The Broadway Extension is a major freeway linking the downtown area to Edmond
. In Edmond, it heads east to meet I-35, which it joins again until Guthrie, where it splits off.
In Guthrie, US-77 meets State Highway 33
. It continues northbound to serve as the eastern terminus of State Highway 164
and turns eastward toward Perry
. After passing the north end of State Highway 86
, it turns back northward and has a half-interchange with the Cimarron Turnpike
. It then carries State Highway 15
for four miles (6 km). At Tonkawa
, it begins a wrong-way concurrency with U.S. Highway 177 and U.S. Highway 60. It splits off to the north to head through Ponca City and Newkirk
, before crossing over the Kansas line towards Arkansas City, Kansas
.
In addition, US-77 has a truck route through downtown Pauls Valley.
Interstate 35 in Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the second state that Interstate 35 passes through from south to north. In Oklahoma, I-35 runs from the Red River at the Texas border to the Kansas line near Braman, for a length of 236 miles . I-35 has one spur route in the state, Interstate 235 in the inner city of Oklahoma...
, connecting Texas to Kansas and running for 268 miles (431 km) through the central part of the state. It passes through many major cities, including Ardmore
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 24,283, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...
, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
and its suburbs, Guthrie
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
, and Ponca City
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
. It has four lettered spur routes.
US-77 was the first highway in Oklahoma to be paved entirely across the state from border to border. It has been a paved roadway since 1930.
Route description
US-77 enters the state along with I-35 but splits off at the first exit in Oklahoma. Four miles later, it passes through ThackervilleThackerville, Oklahoma
Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 404 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. It junctions with State Highway 32
State Highway 32 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 32 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The highway runs from west to east across the southern part of the state, just north of the Red River...
on the west side of Marietta
Marietta, Oklahoma
Marietta is a city in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,445 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Love County.Marietta is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
North of Marietta, US-77 passes to the west of Lake Murray and its state park. It then enters Carter County
Carter County, Oklahoma
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 47,557. Its county seat is Ardmore.Carter County is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and Ardmore, where it is named Commerce Street through the city limits over a four-lane divided thoroughfare that includes frontage roads on each side from just south of SH-199
State Highway 199 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 199, also known as SH-199 or OK-199, is a 44-mile highway in southern Oklahoma. The highway connects Ardmore to Madill as a more northerly alternate to US-70, which much of SH-199 is an old alignment of. It provides access to the Fort Washita Historic Site.-Route description:The...
(West Broadway) to NW 12th Street much like a freeway or expressway, though all intersections on Commerce are at-grade.
North of Ardmore, US-77 continues as a four-lane divided highway to Springer. It crosses State Highway 53
State Highway 53 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 53 is a 87 mile highway in southern Oklahoma. It connects Walters in Cotton Co. to Gene Autry in Carter Co.. It has one lettered spur route, SH-53A.-Route description:...
south of Springer
Springer, Oklahoma
Springer is a town in Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 577 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Springer is located at ....
. North of Springer, US-77 reverts to a two-lane highway and enters the Arbuckle Mountains
Arbuckle Mountains
The Arbuckle Mountains are an ancient mountain range in south-central Oklahoma in the United States. The granite rocks of the Arbuckles date back to the Proterozoic Era some 1.4 billion years ago which were overlain by sediments during the Paleozoic Era. The range reaches a height of 1,412 feet...
, providing access to Turner Falls and having some hairpin curves over a section of roadway paved and constructed in the 1920s using prison labor from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. It then passes through Davis
Davis, Oklahoma
Davis is a city in Garvin and Murray counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 2,610 at the 2000 census. Davis is the home of the 1979, 1986, 1990, and 1995 Oklahoma State Football Championship teams...
(where it has a brief concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with State Highway 7
State Highway 7 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 7, often abbreviated as SH-7 or OK-7, is a 150-mile highway in southern Oklahoma. This lengthy highway connects many towns in Oklahoma's "Little Dixie" area. It runs from Interstate 44 in Lawton to U.S...
. North of Davis, it passes through unincorporated Joy
Joy, Oklahoma
Joy is a small rural community in Murray County, Oklahoma. It was named for the nearby Joy School. Joy School, in turn, was the name selected from a 1922 student contest to choose a new name when the Carr Flats, Talley, and Wheeler schools consolidated....
and passes through Wynnewood
Wynnewood, Oklahoma
Wynnewood is a city in Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,367 at the 2000 census.- History :There is also a Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The railroad workers were from Pennsylvania and named the existing townsites what they wanted. They also named Paoli and Ardmore, Oklahoma...
, where it carries State Highway 29
State Highway 29 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 29 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It runs for 58½ miles through Stephens Co. and Garvin Co., and has one lettered spur route.-Route description:...
. It then passes through Pauls Valley
Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
Pauls Valley is a city in Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,256 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Garvin County.-History:...
, Paoli
Paoli, Oklahoma
Paoli is a town in Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 649 at the 2000 census. It was named after Paoli, an unincorporated community outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where most of the railroad workers that basically built the town were from.-Geography:Paoli is located...
, and Wayne
Wayne, Oklahoma
Wayne is a town in McClain County, Oklahoma, United States. Wayne and McClain County are part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area The population was 519 according to the 2000 census and is part of the "Heart of Oklahoma" area. Wayne was so named by early railroad workers from Pennsylvania who...
. Next, it enters Purcell
Purcell, Oklahoma
Purcell is located in the outer south suburban area of Oklahoma City. It is often called "Quarterhorse Capital of the World" and it is the county seat of McClain County , Oklahoma, United States; it also extends a short distance into Cleveland County. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census...
, where it concurs with State Highway 39
State Highway 39 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 39, abbreviated as SH-39 or OK-39, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is 68.4 miles in length. Built in 1923, it runs east–west through the central part of the state...
and 74
State Highway 74 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 74, usually abbreviated as SH-74 or OK-74 is the numbering of two different highways maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. These highways were once a single major north–south route, connecting Oklahoma City to more rural parts of the state...
.
US-77 and SH-39 split off SH-74 to head eastbound along Washington St. in downtown Purcell. Together, they cross the James C. Nance Memorial Bridge
James C. Nance Memorial Bridge
The James C. Nance Memorial Bridge is a deck truss bridge crossing the Canadian River between Purcell and Lexington, Oklahoma. The bridge carries US-77 and State Highway 39 from McClain County to Cleveland County....
into Lexington
Lexington, Oklahoma
Lexington is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States. The city population was 2,152 at the 2010 census. Sperling Best Places reports that over 7400 residents live in the Lexington Zip code-Geography:Lexington is located at ....
, where SH-39 splits off. It then heads through Slaughterville
Slaughterville, Oklahoma
Slaughterville is a town in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, located in and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population of Slaughterville was 3,609 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
and Noble
Noble, Oklahoma
Noble is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,481 at the 2010 census. Currently, Noble is Cleveland County's third-largest city behind Norman and Moore. The current mayor is Gary Hayes...
before entering Norman
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
.
A major reconstruction on US-77 through Norman
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
completed in April 2009 has realigned US-77 to 12th Avenue East from SH-9 to Tecumseh Road, then west along Tecumseh Road to Flood Avenue, and finally north along Flood Avenue until it merges onto Northbound Interstate-35, the interchange of US-77 and Interstate-35 was modernized and upgraded as part of the widening to six lanes of Interstate-35 to Norman. It formerly ran through downtown Norman along Classen Boulevard, Porter Avenue then west along Robinson Street to Flood Avenue. The north–south section of the new alignment along 12th Avenue was previously flagged as SH-77H.
I-35 and US-77 remain together until the Fort Smith Junction in downtown Oklahoma City, where it transfers onto Interstate 235
Interstate 235 (Oklahoma)
Interstate 235 in Oklahoma is also known as the Centennial Expressway. The spur route of Interstate 35 is a 5.4-mile-long north–south spur route in central and north-central Oklahoma City. It connects northbound to U.S. Highway 77 on to suburban Edmond and southbound at Interstate 44 on to...
. At Interstate 44, I-235 ends, but US-77 continues northbound as a freeway, called the Broadway Extension. The Broadway Extension is a major freeway linking the downtown area to Edmond
Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma....
. In Edmond, it heads east to meet I-35, which it joins again until Guthrie, where it splits off.
In Guthrie, US-77 meets State Highway 33
State Highway 33 (Oklahoma)
Oklahoma's State Highway 33 is a major highway that traverses most of the state, and at one time traversed the entire state. Its general orientation is west to east. All mileages listed herein are from the western terminus of the highway at the Texas state line.-Roger Mills County:SH-33 begins...
. It continues northbound to serve as the eastern terminus of State Highway 164
State Highway 164 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 164 is a state highway in north-central Oklahoma. It runs from State Highway 74 in Covington to US-77 west of Perry. SH-164 is long. It has no lettered spur routes.-Route description:...
and turns eastward toward Perry
Perry, Oklahoma
Perry is a city in Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,126. It is the county seat of Noble County.-19th century:...
. After passing the north end of State Highway 86
State Highway 86 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 86 is a minor state highway that connects SH-51 with Perry. The highway is contained wholly in Payne and Noble Counties.-Route description:...
, it turns back northward and has a half-interchange with the Cimarron Turnpike
Cimarron Turnpike
The Cimarron Turnpike is a toll road in north-central Oklahoma. Opened to traffic in 1975, the route runs , from a junction with Interstate 35 north of Perry, to Westport, just west of Tulsa. The route also consists of a spur which runs from the mainline southwest to a junction with US-177 north...
. It then carries State Highway 15
State Highway 15 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 15 is the name for two once-connected state highways in Oklahoma. One begins at the Texas state line and runs for 47.1 miles through Woodward; the other runs for 62.4 miles between U.S. Highway 64/U.S. Highway 412 and State Highway 18 north of Pawnee...
for four miles (6 km). At Tonkawa
Tonkawa, Oklahoma
Tonkawa is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, it begins a wrong-way concurrency with U.S. Highway 177 and U.S. Highway 60. It splits off to the north to head through Ponca City and Newkirk
Newkirk, Oklahoma
Newkirk is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kay County.-Geography:...
, before crossing over the Kansas line towards Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,415....
.
History
US-77 has followed Commerce entirely through the Ardmore city limits since 1950 when that thoroughfare was built in its current form as an early bypass along what was then Ardmore's west side to provide a straighter route for through traffic and relieve downtown traffic congestion, replacing the original US-77 route in Ardmore which followed Broadway east from Commerce to "E" Street, north on "E" Street to 12th and west on 12th back to Commerce before proceeding north on Commerce out of the city.Spur routes
US-77 has four lettered spur routes in Oklahoma:- SH-77C (0.4 mi) is an unsigned route through PurcellPurcell, OklahomaPurcell is located in the outer south suburban area of Oklahoma City. It is often called "Quarterhorse Capital of the World" and it is the county seat of McClain County , Oklahoma, United States; it also extends a short distance into Cleveland County. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census...
. http://www.okhighways.com/ok77c.html - SH-77D (2 mi) is spur route through the Turner FallsTurner Falls, OklahomaTurner Falls, at , is locally considered Oklahoma's tallest waterfall, although its height matches one in Natural Falls State Park. The falls are located on Honey Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains in south central Oklahoma, near the city of Davis.-History:...
area. It was decommissioned in February 2004. - SH-77HState Highway 77H (Oklahoma)State Highway 77H is a spur that runs from US-77 in Norman, north through a small piece of unincorporated Cleveland County and Moore, to Oklahoma City...
(9 mi) begins at Tecumseh Road and follows 12th Avenue N.E. through Norman, then turns into Sooner Road through the in MooreMoore, OklahomaMoore is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 55,081 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh largest city in the state of Oklahoma....
. The highway ends at I-240Interstate 240 (Oklahoma)Interstate 240 is an Interstate Highway in Oklahoma, USA, that runs 16.22 miles west from Interstate 40 to Interstate 44 in southern Oklahoma City. After its terminus in southwest Oklahoma City, the main I-240 roadbed becomes Interstate 44 and Airport Road toward Will Rogers World Airport...
in Oklahoma City. - SH-77S (17 mi) connects US-70 to SH-32State Highway 32 (Oklahoma)State Highway 32 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The highway runs from west to east across the southern part of the state, just north of the Red River...
near MariettaMarietta, OklahomaMarietta is a city in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,445 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Love County.Marietta is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. It passes along the eastern shore of Lake Murray.
In addition, US-77 has a truck route through downtown Pauls Valley.