Unsigned Interstate 444 Oklahoma

Overview

Interstate 444 forms the eastern and southern half of the Inner Dispersal Loop (IDL) in central Tulsa. The urban loop is unsigned as it overlaps entirely with U.S. 75 and with U.S. 64/SH 51 on the south leg. Despite the unsigned status, the route may appear on some maps or GPS units.

Mileage by State

Oklahoma

2.51 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

History

Interstate 444 opened in three segments. The initial legs of the IDL opened in the early 1970s as spurs from Interstate 244. The southern section opened east from I-244 to 13th Street while the northern section ran south from I-244 to 7th Street.¹ Several years transpired before the remainder of I-444, the southeast corner of the IDL, was completed. This took place in November 1981, with the Broken Arrow Expressway (SH 51) extending west to the IDL in March 1982.²

Exit numbers along both I-244 and I-444 were originally based upon the mileage of I-44 from the west end of the Turner Turnpike at Oklahoma City. Exit numbering along I-244 ranged upward from 89, while interchanges on the southern leg of I-444 were assigned Exits 94 A-D and those on the east leg were designated Exits 96 A-C.¹ Exit numbers along the IDL were removed when the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) made I-444 an unsigned route.³

Signs for Interstate 444 were removed by 1995 per ODOT in an effort to ease motorist confusion with signage for I-44 and I-244.³ Photos taken through Tulsa by long time site contributor Cary Todd in 1994 showed no signs of Interstate 444 however. The overlaps with U.S. 64, 75 and SH 51 likely played a significant role in the removal of I-444 as well. This was not without precedent, as the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) removed signs along I-296 in Grand Rapids, Michigan because of confusion involving the concurrency with U.S. 131.

$7.2 million in construction rehabilitated four bridges at the southeast corner of the IDL, where the Broken Arrow Expressway ties in from the southeast. Work started in January 2017 and ran through early 2018.⁴

North End  ‐ northeast of Downtown Tulsa, OK

North at

The IDL drops below grade from the directional T interchange with 7th and 8th Streets at 4th Street on the approach to I-244/U.S. 412 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway) and the Cherokee Expressway north. 05/05/12

West at

I-244/U.S. 412 reduce to two westbound lanes as succeeding two-lane off-ramps depart for U.S. 75 and the IDL (I-444) to the left (Exit 6B) and 1st Street and Downtown to the right (Exit 6 C). 11/02/16

East at

I-244/U.S. 412 eastbound elevate onto a viaduct across the directional T interchanges linking the freeway with U.S. 75 north to Bartlesville and I-444/U.S. 75 south to Midtown. 11/01/16

North End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

at

Signs for old Exit 96C simply displayed Interstate 244 west without a control city. Photo by Rick Mattioni (04/01).

South End  ‐ southwest of Downtown Tulsa, OK

West South at

The initial sign for Interstate 244 along the IDL westbound appears at the S Denver Avenue overpass. The last mainline exit departs in 0.25 miles for parallel 11th Street and Houston Avenue north to Cox Business Convention Center. 11/01/16

East North at

I-244/U.S. 75 cross the Arkansas River with six overall lanes ahead of Exit 4 B with the south leg of the Inner Dispersal Loop (IDL). Construction from April 2011 to December 2012 replaced the westbound span across the Arkansas River while two-way traffic was in place along the eastbound span. 11/02/16

West East at

A wye interchange (Exit 5A) connects I-244 west / U.S. 64-SH 51 east with 2nd Street and the BOK Center just south of their merge, and one half mile ahead of their split at the IDL (U.S. 75/I-444). 11/02/16

South End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

at

Replaced button copy overheads for I-244 along I-444-U.S. 75 south and U.S. 64-SH 51 west at Houston Avenue. The exit tabs formerly displaying Exits 94A/B were dropped from sign replacements made by Summer 2003. Photo by Rick Mattioni (09/00).

References

1. McMahon, M. Side Trips 3: Wherefore Art Thou 94D. Roadkahoma. Retrieved from http://www.tulok.net/s3.html<
2. "Phone Company Wires Crossed on 1-900 Billing." Tulsa World (OK), July 18, 1990.
3. "Despite lack of signage, I-444 exists in Tulsa." The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), November 23, 2009.
4. "From east to west, downtown and midtown, major projects affecting Tulsa traffic." Tulsa World (OK), July 20, 2017.