U.S. Route 75 Alternate (Beggs–Sapulpa, Oklahoma)
U.S. 75 Alternate (also signed as U.S. Highway 75A or State Highway 75A) is a 30.15-mile (48.52 km) highway near Tulsa. The southern terminus is at U.S. Highway 75 and SH-16 east of Beggs. The northern terminus is signed at State Highway 66 and State Highway 97 in Sapulpa. However, the highway continues unsigned along SH-66, ending at the north terminus of the Turner Turnpike, where SH-66 merges onto the free portion of I-44. It runs parallel to US-75 for its entire length.
  U.S. Highway 75 Alternate | |
|---|---|
 US-75 Alt. highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by ODOT | |
| Length | 30.15 mi[2][3] (48.52 km) |
| Existed | August 28, 1959[1]–present |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |   US 75 / SH-16 east of Beggs |
| North end |  I-44 in Sapulpa (concurrent with SH-66) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Highway system | |
| |
Except for the segment between new US-75 and Beggs, US-75 ALT follows the route of the old US-75 prior to the construction of the Okmulgee Beeline and that road's subsequent designation as US-75 in 1959.
Route description
edit
US-75 Alternate begins where SH-16 crosses under US-75 east of Beggs. West of this intersection, US-75 ALT is signed along with SH-16. The two highways continue west into the city of Beggs, where the partnership ends. US-75 ALT turns north onto the route of the old US-75, passing through Beggs and then rural areas of Okmulgee County on a due north course. The highway crosses into Creek County, then curves to the northeast for about 1 mile (1.6 km) before returning to a northerly course through Mounds.[4] After passing through Mounds, US-75 ALT follows a route a few degrees west of due north, bringing it to the town of Kiefer, where it serves as the western terminus of SH-67.
From Kiefer, the highway turns northwest. The highway bridges Polecat Creek as it turns west to enter the city of Sapulpa.[4] The route then turns back to the north as it gets closer the city's core. The highway intersects SH-117 in about the center of town. The road then intersects SH-33 and SH-66, while the mainline becomes SH-97. At this intersection, signage indicating the north end of US-75 ALT is posted.
Officially, however, US-75 ALT continues onward from here, turning right and following SH-66 through the east part of Sapulpa. This section of US-75 ALT is signed exclusively as SH-66. The road parallels I-44, the Turner Turnpike. The highways pass under the Creek Turnpike as well. Finally, as the Turner Turnpike comes to an end and I-44 transitions into a free Interstate, SH-66 merges onto the freeway. US-75 ALT ends at this point, just south of the Creek–Tulsa County line.
History
editUS-75 ALT largely follows the route of the old US-75 before the "Okmulgee Beeline", the expressway/freeway between Okmulgee and Tulsa, was built. On August 28, 1959, the US-75 name was moved onto the new highway, and US-75 ALT was designated for the old highway.[1] The old route of US-75 south of Beggs continues to be designated as Old Highway 75 into Okmulgee, at which point it is signed as North Oklahoma Avenue until 6th Street.
Junction list
edit| County | Location | mi[5] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okmulgee | | 0.0 | 0.0 | SH-16 continues east | |
| | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 75 | Southern terminus | |
| Beggs | 3.6 | 5.8 | SH-16 | Northern end of SH-16 concurrency | |
| Creek | Kiefer | 18.0 | 29.0 |  SH-67 | Western terminus of SH-67 |
| Sapulpa | 22.6 | 36.4 |  SH-117 | ||
| 23.3 | 37.5 |    SH-33 / SH-66 / SH-97 | Signed northern terminus of US-75 ALT, southern terminus of SH-97, eastern terminus of SH-33, southern end of SH-66 concurrency | ||
| 24.2 | 38.9 |  SH-117A | Northern terminus of SH-117A | ||
| 26.4 | 42.5 |   Creek Turnpike | No access to/from westbound Creek Tpk. | ||
| 30.2 | 48.6 | I-44 / SH-66 | Northern terminus of US-75 ALT, northern end of SH-66 concurrency | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
edit- ^ a b Oklahoma Department of Transportation. "Memorial Dedication and Revision History, US 75". Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ^ 2008 Control Section Maps (PDF) (Map). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. p. Okmulgee. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ^ 2008 Control Section Maps (PDF) (Map). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. p. Creek. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Oklahoma Atlas and Gazetteer (Map). 1:200,000. DeLorme. 2006.
- ^ "U.S. Route 75 Alternate (Beggs–Sapulpa, Oklahoma)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved February 4, 2013.