Texas border to Elk City By 1916, a series of unpaved state roads was laid out from
Texola, just east of the
Texas state line, east via
Erick to
Delhi, north to
Sayre, and east and north via Doxey to
Elk City. It became part of US 66 in 1926; this initial alignment ran along the state line from a bit south of the old railroad grade south to E1240 Road, and then ran east through Texola on Fifth Street. After a mile south on N1680 Road, it turned east on E1250 Road to Erick, then south again on N1750 Road, east on E1260 Road, south on N1810 Road, and east on E1270 Road to Delhi. Traffic turned north at N1870 Road (now
US 283), jogging west on E1250 Road at the mismatch in the
section lines, and entered Sayre on N1870 Road. The bridge over the
North Fork of the Red River in Sayre was built of
timber in 1924 and upgraded and widened with
steel in 1933. It was bypassed in 1958, and has been demolished; its remains are on private property. The original US 66 passed through Sayre on Main Street (now
SH-152) and Fourth Street, leaving to the east on Benton Boulevard (E1180 Road). It then turned north on N1900 Road, east on E1170 Road (there was a cutoff on the southeast side of the railroad at this turn), north on N1960 Road, east on E1160 Road, and north on N2000 Road into Elk City on Randall Avenue. Short sections of this — a bridge on E1170 Road east of N1950 Road (
SH-34) and the crossing of
Elk City Lake on N2000 Road — no longer exist. By 1935 US 66 used May Avenue rather than Western Avenue; the alternate route continued to use Western Avenue, moving to Classen Boulevard south of 53rd Street on March 18, 1936. The alternate route was eventually moved to May Avenue on May 6, 1947. (
SH-3 used the Northwest Expressway west of May Avenue.) The old US 66 through downtown, via May Avenue, 23rd Street, and Lincoln Boulevard, became
US 66 Business, and the alternate route was eliminated. A short realignment was made on August 2, 1954, using the new West Expressway from 39th Street and May Avenue to the Northwest Expressway west of Classen Boulevard. The business route was deleted on March 5, 1979, and at about the same time the new route of the West Expressway, bypassing Classen Circle, was completed.
Through Tulsa By 1929, US 66 had been marked through
Tulsa, entering from the southwest on Southwest Boulevard (then Quanah Avenue) to the old
11th Street Bridge over the
Arkansas River, being a
concrete arch bridge from 1916 that is now on the
National Register of Historic Places. The route left the bridge on Maybelle Avenue, and turned east on 11th Street, north on Cheyenne Avenue, east on 7th Street, north on Detroit Avenue, east on 2nd Street, north on Lewis Avenue, and east on Admiral Place to the city limits. Outside the city, the original route turned south on Mingo Road and east on 11th Street, turning north on 193rd Avenue to reach
Catoosa. A relocation, approved on July 7, 1932, simplified the routing through Tulsa, taking it east on 11th Street all the way from the bridge to 193rd Avenue. (
US 75 and
SH-11 remained on Admiral Place, the former using the old US 66 alignment through downtown.)
US 66 Bypass was established on June 4, 1951, along the proposed Skelly Drive, which was not finished until the late 1950s, when it became part of
I-44. US 66 itself was moved to Skelly Drive on November 3, 1959, and the old route on Southwest Boulevard and 11th Street, west of the Skelly Drive interchange east of downtown, became
US 66 Business. (The only change in this route was made in the early 1970s, during construction of
I-444, when it was moved to 12th Street west of Denver Avenue.) The business route was eliminated on January 15, 1973, removing all state highways from surface streets in
downtown Tulsa, except for a temporary routing of
US 64 and
SH-51 on 15th Street until the
Broken Arrow Expressway was completed.
Tulsa to Kansas border As with the rest of US 66 in Oklahoma, the majority of this segment follows SH-66, with a number of older alignments that take US 66 through many of the communities along the way. From the northeast side of Tulsa, at the intersection of 193rd Ave and I-44/SH-66, two routes are available, depending on which sources one considers to be official: • The first route proceeds north on 193rd Ave, crossing under I-44, and turns northeast onto Cherokee St. This route turns east onto Rice St, crosses SH-66, and then turns northeast onto "Old US Highway 66". This road turns north as it joins with 225th St. This road splits into a "Y" just before it intersects with SH-66. Maps indicate that both sides of the "Y" intersect with SH-66, and that the right side of this "Y" leads the traveler to cross SH-66 again, to find an abandoned segment of US 66 on the other side. • A second route proceeds north on 193rd Ave, past I-44, and turns northeast onto Cherokee St. One then turns hard right onto Antry Dr., then left onto SH-66. The route turns east onto Rice St, then northeast onto "Old US Highway 66", north on 225th St, and then northeast back onto SH-66. US 66 then follows SH-66 northeast through
Verdigris and into
Claremore. One may either continue on SH-66 all the way through town, or divert one block west and take the older alignment down J.M Davis Blvd. The route re-joins SH-66 via Stuart Roosa Dr., at the north end of town. US 66 then proceeded north and east via SH-66. Other communities along this stretch of road include
Sequoyah,
Foyil, and Busyhead. In
Chelsea, SH-28 briefly merges with SH-66, then diverges north after about 5 blocks, while SH-66 continues toward
White Oak. After White Oak,
US 60/
US 69 join the route. Just beyond this intersection, SH-2 joins the route as the road continues to
Vinita. In the downtown area of Vinita, SH-2 diverges to the north while US 60/US 66/US 69 turn to the right. The highway crosses I-44 just east of the city and intersects with SH-82 and SH-85. At the latter junction, the highway takes a turn to the north and continues through
Afton. Just east of Afton, there are two possible alignments: • One may turn off to the right onto E 220 Road. This is actually a stretch of the original "sidewalk" highway. The driver would follow the road straight at first, then follow the original roadbed as it curves to the right, avoiding the 90-degree intersection ahead. This joins with S 520 road and intersects with and crosses US 69. One should proceed straight on S 520 Road, crossing US 69 and eventually crossing over I-44. Less than later, the roadbed curves to the east onto 210th road, again avoiding the 90-degree intersection. Less than after this, the sidewalk road becomes regular paved roadway, which then intersects with US 69. At this point, US 66 turns north to follow the main highway. • Alternatively, one may remain on US 69, bypassing the sidewalk road entirely and continuing northeast. After about ,
US 59 joins the route (about halfway between the two ends of the sidewalk route). At the US 60/US 69/I-44 interchange, US 69 continues north while US 60 diverts east. Shortly after Narcissa, another section of the old US 66 alignment is available, again as a stretch of sidewalk highway: • At 140th road, the original US 66 alignment turns to the right, onto another stretch of sidewalk highway. The roadbed turns north onto 540th road after , then east onto 130th road after another mile. After about , the route turns north onto "E" St. SW. The route continues north through a rural-looking residential area and joins with SH-125 after one mile (1.6 km). After another , the road bends to the right and crosses the Neosho River, then bends to the left and joins with Main Street in
Miami, Oklahoma. The Route continues north through town. Like the stretch of road near Afton, the sidewalk roadbed bends and curves around the corners, avoiding the actual 90-degree intersections entirely. • Alternatively, one may remain on US 59/US 69, bypassing the sidewalk road. SH-10 joins the route about beyond Narcissa, and US 59 diverts to the west at this intersection. US 66/US 69 continues northeast into Miami. At the intersection with Main Street, SH-10 proceeds east, while US 66/US 69 diverges to the north. US 66/US 69 continues north through Miami. As the highway exits to the north, an alternate alignment becomes available: • At the intersection with Newman Road, US 69 bends northeast. Just past Newman Road is an exit that takes one back onto Main Street; a sign is currently in place directing travelers to take this exit to remain on US 66. From here, US 66 proceeds north through the "back" side of
Commerce, Oklahoma. US 66 turns east at Commerce St. and proceeds through the downtown area of Commerce. US 66 turns north at
Mickey Mantle Boulevard to rejoin with US 69. • Alternatively, one may remain on US 69, bypassing the downtown area of Commerce. US 66/US 69 bends to the east as it exits the north side of Commerce. About after this bend, US 69 diverts to the north. Alternate US 69 begins at this point, and US 66/Alternate 69 continues east, bending north as the highway enters the south end of
Quapaw, Oklahoma. The route continues through Quapaw and proceeds northeast beyond the Oklahoma/
Kansas state line to
Riverton, Kansas, where US 66 splits from alternate 69 and heads eastward as
K-66. ==History==