Kickapoo Turnpike

[Oklazona Bound]

I saw the Kickapoo exit on 44 yesterday. Its not open yet but signs are up. Coming up on it I thought it had opened and I was going to take it for the heck of it. I was going to downtown OKC. I figure with all the construction on 35 and 44 it might save a couple minutes this way. Who knows. Whenever it opens I will try it once to get it out of my system.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Oklazona Bound

I saw the Kickapoo exit on 44 yesterday. Its not open yet but signs are up. Coming up on it I thought it had opened and I was going to take it for the heck of it. I was going to downtown OKC. I figure with all the construction on 35 and 44 it might save a couple minutes this way. Who knows. Whenever it opens I will try it once to get it out of my system.

It won't help you get downtown. You end up having to go all the way down to I-240 and then coming back to downtown on I-40 (tinker diagonal). Way longer and out of the way than just coming in on I-44 to I-35.

[Oklazona Bound]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

It won't help you get downtown. You end up having to go all the way down to I-240 and then coming back to downtown on I-40 (tinker diagonal). Way longer and out of the way than just coming in on I-44 to I-35.

Then what is the point of this turnpike?

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Oklazona Bound

Then what is the point of this turnpike?

It's basically a bypass so people traveling through don't have to go through downtown.

The problem is that it puts you back on I-240 and you get back on I-35 at the south interchange and you still have to hassle I-35 south through Moore and Norman (or you have to hassle I-35 before you get to I-240 coming north). Except for rush hour it doesn't seem like it would be worth the toll fee.

Of course I'm the same way about the Kilpatrick. I only use it during rush hour. The rest of the time it's just as easy to go through town to end up where the Kilpatrick takes you and save the money.

The other thing about the Kickapoo route is that it is going to be a few miles longer than just going through town as well.

But hopefully the turnpike will take some of the truck traffic and through traffic off of the current route fir the Dallas <>Tulsa traffic.

[Oklazona Bound]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

It's basically a bypass so people traveling through don't have to go through downtown.

The problem is that it puts you back on I-240 and you get back on I-35 at the south interchange and you still have to hassle I-35 south through Moore and Norman (or you have to hassle I-35 before you get to I-240 coming north). Except for rush hour it doesn't seem like it would be worth the toll fee.

Of course I'm the same way about the Kilpatrick. I only use it during rush hour. The rest of the time it's just as easy to go through town to end up where the Kilpatrick takes you and save the money.

The other thing about the Kickapoo route is that it is going to be a few miles longer than just going through town as well.

But hopefully the turnpike will take some of the truck traffic and through traffic off of the current route fir the Dallas <>Tulsa traffic.

As someone who grew up in Los Angeles and spend some years in both Houston and Phoenix I don't see the OKC traffic as being that bad. Coming in from the north on I-35 or I-44 is not bad at all at say 8AM. I have gone north at about 4pm on the same routes and again not bad at all. Biggest problem being the lane closures due to construction. Perhaps from other directions it is worse.