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Interstate 240
Exit Guide
Exit 1A
(WB Only)
Interstate 44
West
U.S. 62 West
Lawton
Exit 1B
S. May Ave.
Exit 1C
S. Penn Ave.
Exit 2A
S. Western Ave.
Exit 2B
S. Walker Ave.
Exit 3A
(EB Only)
S. Santa Fe Ave.
Exit 3B
S. Shields Blvd.
Exit 4A
Interstate 35
South
Dallas
Exit 4B
Interstate 35 North
U.S. 62 East
Wichita (EB)
Oklahoma City (WB)
Exit 4C
(EB Only)
Pole Rd.
Exit 5
Eastern Ave.
Exit 6
Bryant Ave.
Exit 7
Sunnylane Rd.
Exit 8
OK 77H South
Sooner Rd.
Tinker AFB
Exit 9
Air Depot Blvd.
Tinker AFB
Exit 11A
(EB Only)
Douglas Blvd.
Exit 11 (WB)
Exit 11B (EB)
Douglas Blvd.
Tinker AFB
Midwest City
Exit 14
Anderson Rd.
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Highway Review:
Interstate 240 is the
southern bypass of Oklahoma City. It runs east-west and starts
out at Interstate
44 in southwest Oklahoma
City near Oklahoma City Community College (where I went to college for two years) and travels for 16 miles to its
eastern terminus at Interstate 40
in rural southeastern Oklahoma City. U.S. 62 is signed with I-240
for its first 4 miles until its junction with Interstate 35, and OK 3 is signed with I-240 for its
whole distance.
In October 2004, the highway between Interstate
44 and Interstate 35 was named the Keith Leftwich Memorial Loop, after a
longtime state senator in south Oklahoma City who succumbed to cancer in the
early 2000s. <rant> Why it's called a loop I'm not sure, as it's a straight
4-mile stretch of highway. Now, if it was applied to, say, Interstate 44 from
Interstate 240 to Interstate 40, Interstate 40 from Interstate 44 to Interstate
35, and Interstate 35 from Interstate 240 to Interstate 40, then that
would be a loop! </rant> However, along the entire Leftwich Loop, the roadway
was resurfaced and the signs were replaced in late 2004.
The freeway starts
out as an 8 lane freeway between I-44 and May Ave. (Exit 1B).
Then it goes down to 6 lanes from May Ave. to I-35. There are
exits for S. Pennsylvania Ave. (Exit 1C), S. Western Ave. (Exit 2A),
S. Walker Ave. (Exit 2B), S. Santa Fe Ave. (eastbound only-Exit 3A),
S. Shields Blvd. (Exit 3B), and Interstate 35 (Exits 4A-B). After
I-35 the highway is 6 lanes until Pole Rd. (Exit 4C) which accesses the
Crossroads Mall area. The speed limit increases from 60 to 65
following the next exit at Eastern Ave. (Exit 5). Interchanges
continue to be spaced one mile apart at each main north-south
street. Exits are available for Bryant Ave. (Exit 6), Sunnylane
Rd. (Exit 7), Sooner Rd./OK 77H South (Exit 8), and Air Depot Rd.
(Exit 9) Then the exits begin to space out as you head east. The
next exit is for Douglas Blvd. (Exits 11A-B) Traffic can choose either
to take the regular diamond exit or the cloverleaf exit to get
onto Douglas Blvd. north. This exit is well used as Tinker
Air Force Base is located off of Douglas.
The speed limit has
now increased to 70 and the final exit for I-240 is at Exit 14 for Anderson Rd.
Two miles after the exit, the eastbound lanes merge into one lane and join
Interstate 40 heading east towards Shawnee, Ft. Smith, Little Rock, Memphis,
Nashville, Raleigh, and Wilmington, NC. There is no access from eastbound I-240
to westbound I-40, nor is there an exit from eastbound I-40 to westbound I-240.
One must use Anderson Rd. to perform this move.
Suggestions:
If you have ever been on Interstate 240 between Western and Interstate 35,
then you know just how much of a hassle it can be to get on or off the highway.
The very closely-spaced on- and off-ramps to and from Western, Walker, and Santa
Fe are the site of many near-misses and accidents. I've lost count of how many
times I have had to exit somewhere else because I was unable to get over due to
too much cars getting on and not enough ramp for me to get over!
So here are my suggestions on how to
improve the highway between Western and Interstate 35. Remember, I am not
affiliated with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, even though it would
be nice if they took my suggestions into consideration. So here are my
suggestions for a safer Interstate 240, even though it will cause some to go
through one or two more stoplights to get on the interstate, it should make it
easier and most importantly of all, safer, to get on Interstate 240:
Eastbound:
1a. Eliminate the off-ramp from
I-240 to Walker
1b. Lengthen the on-ramp from Western to I-240, since the Walker off-ramp would
be gone
1c. New Exit 2 will be for Western and Walker
2. Eliminate the on-ramp from Walker
to I-240
3a. Create 4th EB lane first as
acceleration lane from Shields, then as exit-only lane for I-35 South
3b. Keep Interstate 240 3 lanes in each direction throughout the Interstate 35
interchange, not just on overpasses
Westbound:
1a. Create 4th WB lane as
acceleration lane from I-35 South, then as exit-only lane for Shields
1b. Straighten out off-ramp from I-240 to Shields
1c. Extend acceleration ramp from Shields through Santa Fe overpass, instead of
stopping prior to it like it does now
2. Eliminate the on-ramp from Santa
Fe to I-240
3. Eliminate the on-ramp from Walker
to I-240
The interchange at Interstate 35 is
planned to be reconstructed beginning later this year, and I do not know how
that will affect Interstate 240 at this time. The rest of the suggestions,
however, need to be implemented, at least somewhat. At least something needs to
be done, because it's too dangerous in that area, and I'm tired of Oklahoma
having poor road design!
Advantage: This eliminates all of
the dangerous weaving that currently happens in a short time.
Disadvantages: Motorists going
to/coming from Walker would be most affected by this plan. The only direct
access in either direction is from Interstate 240 West to Walker. If one is on
Walker and wants to get onto I-240, they would have to go through two stoplights
on S.E. 74th to go on I-240 East and one stoplight to get to I-240 West. Also,
traffic from Santa Fe, Walker, and Western would be using the same on-ramp to
Interstate 240 West; and traffic from Walker, Santa Fe, and Shields would be
using the same on-ramp to Interstate 240 East.
I think these disadvantages are
minor when you consider that there would not be as much weaving anymore and
motorists would actually have time to speed up/slow down and get to the lane
they need to be in!
PICTURES
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 1A - Interstate 44/
U.S. 62 West - Lawton. The highway
defaults onto Interstate 44 East. (Top photo
taken 7/18/03, bottom photo taken 12/10/04) |
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"END Interstate 240" sign assembly
on
Interstate 240 West, 1/4 mile to the
east of
Interstate 44. (Top photo taken 8/28/02,
bottom photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
West approaching
Exit 1A -
Interstate 44/U.S. 62 West, and Exit 116A -
S.W. 59th St. (Photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East approaching
Exit 1B -
S. May Ave. - 1/4 mile. (Photo taken
12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 1B - S. May Ave.
This sign gantry was knocked down in early
2003 during a tractor-trailer accident, so
needless to say, these signs were
replaced, as the bottom picture shows.
(Top photo taken
8/28/02, bottom photo
taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 1B - S. May
Ave. Interstate 44 is 1 mile ahead. (Top photo
taken 8/28/02, bottom photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Mileage sign on Interstate 240
West just
west of Penn. (Photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 1C - S. Penn
Ave. (Top photo taken 11/13/02, bottom
photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 1C - S. Penn
Ave. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, bottom
photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East approaching
Exit 2A -
S. Western Ave. - 1 mile. (Photo taken
12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 2A - S. Western
Ave. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, bottom
photo taken 12/10/04) |
 |
Interstate 240
West at
Exit 2A - S. Western
Ave. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, bottom
photo taken 12/10/04) |
 |
Interstate 240
East at
Exit 2B - S. Walker
Ave. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, bottom
photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 2B - S. Walker
Ave. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, bottom
photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 3A - S. Santa
Fe Ave. On the top photo, the exit tab said
"Exit A3," but with the sign replacement
project in November 2004, the goof has
been corrected.
(Top photo taken 11/6/02,
bottom photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Mileage sign on Interstate 240
West at
Santa Fe Ave. (Photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 3B - S. Shields
Blvd. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, middle
photo taken 10/31/03, bottom photo taken
12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 3B - S. Shields
Blvd. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, bottom
photo taken 12/10/04) |
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"Keith Leftwich Memorial Loop"
sign on
Interstate 240 West between Shields
and
Interstate 35. Except, again, this is not a
loop! (Photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 4A - Interstate
35 South - Dallas. (Top photo taken 8/28/02,
bottom photo taken 12/10/04) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 4A - Interstate
35 South - Dallas. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 4B - Interstate
35 North/U.S. 62 East - Wichita. This ramp
was closed for several months due to the
widening on
Interstate 35, as shown by
the bottom
photo. (Top photo taken 8/28/02,
bottom
photo taken 10/31/03) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 4B - Interstate
35 North/U.S. 62 East - Oklahoma City.
(Photo taken 8/28/02) |
 |
Interstate 240
East at
Exit 4C - Pole Rd.
This exit provides access to Crossroads
Mall. (Photo taken 12/10/04) |
 |
Interstate 240
East at
Exit 5 - Eastern Ave.
(Photo taken 8/28/02) |
 |
Interstate 240
West at
Exit 5 - Eastern Ave.
(Photo taken 8/28/02) |
 |
The speed limit goes from 60 to 65
after
Exit 5, as this sign shows on Interstate 240
East. On this day, however, the "timil
deeps"
was 59, as the sign was upside down.
When I saw this sign two days later, it was
right side up again. (Photo taken
10/31/03) |
 |
Interstate 240
East at
Exit 6 - Bryant Ave.
(Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 6 - Bryant Ave.
(Photo taken 8/28/02) |
 |
Interstate 240
East at
Exit 7 - Sunnylane
Rd. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 7 - Sunnylane
Rd. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 8 - OK 77H -
Sooner Rd./Tinker AFB. The bottom photo
shows the new sign after the tornado of
May 8, 2003, took away the old one in the
same way it damaged my car just minutes
earlier. (Top photo taken 8/28/02, bottom
photo taken 10/31/03) |
 |
Interstate 240
West at
Exit 8 - OK 77H
South - Sooner Rd./Tinker AFB. (Top
photo taken 8/28/02, bottom photo taken
12/21/03) |
 |
Interstate 240
East approaching
Exit 9 -
Air Depot Blvd./Tinker AFB - Next Right.
Except the exit tab says Exit 7, which is
two miles west of here for Sunnylane Rd.!
This sign goof has since been corrected.
(Photo taken 10/31/03) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 9 - Air Depot
Blvd./Tinker AFB. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 9 - Air Depot
Blvd./Tinker AFB. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 11A - Douglas
Blvd. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
East at
Exit 11B - Tinker AFB/
Midwest City. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 11 - Douglas
Blvd./Tinker AFB/Midwest City. (Photo
taken 8/28/02) |
 |
Interstate 240
East at
Exit 14 - Anderson
Rd. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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Interstate 240
West at
Exit 14 - Anderson
Rd. (Photo taken 8/28/02) |
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