 U.S. Highway 81 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chisholm Trail Historic Route | ||||
 US 81 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byODOT | ||||
| Length | 229.28 mi[1] (368.99 km) | |||
| Existed | December 7, 1926[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 81 south ofTerral | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end | US-81 south ofCaldwell, KS | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Oklahoma | |||
| Counties | Jefferson,Stephens,Grady,Canadian,Kingfisher,Garfield,Grant | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 81 (US-81) is a north–southU.S. highway running through the central United States'Great Plains region, fromFort Worth, Texas to the U.S.–Canadian border atPembina, North Dakota. A 229.28-mile (368.99 km) segment of the highway lies within the state ofOklahoma. US-81 crosses theRed River from Texas south ofTerral, passing through several Oklahoma cities, such asChickasha,El Reno,Kingfisher, andEnid, before entering Kansas north ofRenfrow.
The route of US-81 was originally served by theChisholm Trail, which was used to drive cattle from Texas toAbilene, Kansas. US-81 was established as a primary route of the U.S. highway system at the time of the system's original designation. US-81 was established through Oklahoma on December 7, 1926.
US-81 enters the state of Oklahoma fromMontague County, Texas by crossing a bridge across the Red River intoJefferson County. Just north of the river, the highway passes throughTerral, its first Oklahoma town. The route takes a due north course north of Terral, with aUnion Pacific rail line, which US-81 will parallel throughout its time in Oklahoma, lying just to the west of the highway, and the Red River running to the west of that.[3] US-81 has its first highway junction in Oklahoma inRyan, where it serves as the western terminus ofState Highway 32 (SH-32). North of Ryan, the highway begins paralleling Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Red River, and bypassesSugden to the east. US-81 intersectsUS-70 on the southeastern outskirts ofWaurika, the county seat of Jefferson County. As US-81 passes north of the town, it begins roughly following the course of Cow Creek, which spills into Beaver Creek in Waurika. The highway curves northeast to bisectAddington before returning to a due north course as it entersStephens County.[4]
From the Jefferson–Stephens county line, US-81 takes a due north course toComanche, where it meetsSH-53. Upon leaving Comanche, US-81 curves northwest before resuming its course to the north, passing through the gap betweenSunray andEmpire City. The highway then entersDuncan, the Stephens County seat, where US-81 passes through town. Further north, an interchange offers travelers an opportunity to join theDuncan Bypass, which parallels US-81 to the west. At this same interchange, eastboundSH-7 towardDavis can be accessed, while westbound SH-7 forms aconcurrency with theDuncan Bypass proceeding west of 16th Street. US-81 continues north through Duncan to the city's northern limit, where SH-7 is to the west, bound forLawton. US-81 continues north, enteringMarlow. In Marlow, the route serves as the western terminus ofSH-29. US-81 then continues north out of Stephens County.[4]
The next county that US-81 serves isGrady County. The highway heads due north from the county line to the outskirts ofRush Springs, whereits only business route continues north to serve the town. Mainline US-81 veers away to the west, bypassing Rush Springs. Along this bypass, the highway intersectsSH-17. US-81 then reunites with its business loop as it leaves the Rush Springs area. The road runs just west ofAgawam before coming toNinnekah, whereUS-277 andSH-19 join US-81 in a concurrency. SH-19 splits away from US-81 further north in Ninnekah, while US-277 follows US-81 north into the city ofChickasha. On the south end of Chickasha, US-81/US-277 have an interchange withInterstate 44 (I-44), which at this point is following theH.E. Bailey Turnpike, a toll road serving southwestern Oklahoma. The two highways follow 4th Street north to downtown, where they split ways at Choctaw Avenue, which carriesUS-62 andSH-9; US-277 turns east along Choctaw, while US-81 turns west.[5] US-81, accompanied by US-62 and SH-9, proceeds west, crossing over theStillwater Central Railroad as well as Line Creek.[3][4] On the west edge of Chickasha, US-81 splits away from US-62/SH-9, turning north as a two-lane highway. The route then crosses theWashita River and continues north through the incorporated town ofPocasset. Further north, inMinco, the highway begins a brief concurrency withSH-37. After one mile (1.6 km) following US-81, SH-37 splits away to the west, whileSH-152 joins US-81 at the same intersection. The two highways then cross theCanadian River, the northern boundary of Grady County.[4]
Upon landing on the north shore of the Canadian River, US-81 and SH-152 enterCanadian County. The first Canadian County town they encounter isUnion City, where SH-152 turns east towardOklahoma City. US-81 continues due north, passing from Union City into the Canadian County seat,El Reno, where it comes to an interchange withI-40/US-270. This is also the beginning ofInterstate 40 Business, which proceeds north along US-81. The two routes serve as the western terminus ofSH-66, the successor route to the celebratedUS-66. US-81 and I-40 Business turn northwest, heading into downtown El Reno along Rock Island Boulevard. Downtown, the highways turn west along Wade Street before turning back to the north on Choctaw Avenue. I-40 Business turns west onto Sunset Drive, while US-81 continues due north along Choctaw out of town.[5] As the highway continues north, it passes east of unincorporatedConcho, and eleven miles (18 km) north of El Reno, the highway has an interchange withSH-3, forming the northwestern terminus of Oklahoma City's Northwest Expressway. SH-3 joins US-81, and the two highways head north into the town ofOkarche.[6]
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Okarche straddles the Canadian–Kingfisher county line, and it is in Okarche that US-81 and SH-3 enter Kingfisher County.[7] After passing through the town, the two routes take a northeastern tack. As they approach the southern limits of the county seat,Kingfisher, they curve back to a due north course. In Kingfisher, the two highways intersectSH-33; SH-3 splits away from US-81 to turn west along SH-33 towardWatonga. US-81 continues north alone. Approximately five miles (8.0 km) north of Kingfisher, the road turns east, returning to a northerly course after about one mile (1.6 km). The highway then crosses theCimarron River.[4] North of the river, the route runs along the west edge ofDover. It then continues north toHennessey, where it intersectsSH-51. From Hennessey, US-81 continues north intoGarfield County.[6]
The first town that US-81 serves in Garfield County isBison, an unincorporated place; the first incorporated town in the county isWaukomis, twenty miles (32 km) north of Hennessey.[6] From Waukomis, the highway proceeds north toVance Air Force Base, which it passes just east of. The highway then enters the city ofEnid, running along Van Buren Street. At its intersection withOwen K. Garriott Road, US-81 also intersectsUS-60 andUS-412. While US-412 continues straight through the intersection, US-60 forms a concurrency with US-81. The two highways continue north, then curve northeast and begin following North 4th Street, which carriesUS-64, creating a three-route concurrency. US-60/US-64/US-81 head due north through the northern reaches of Enid, serving as the eastern terminus ofSH-45. They then leave Enid and Garfield County.[5]
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The northernmost county US-81 serves in Oklahoma isGrant County. Still accompanied by US-60 and US-64, the route heads north from the county line for approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) before coming to a T intersection. Here, US-64 turns west, while US-81 turns east. After four miles (6.4 km), the highways come to the town ofPond Creek; here US-60 splits off towardLamont, while US-81 heads north.[6] US-81 crosses theSalt Fork of the Arkansas River north of Pond Creek, then turns northeast, bypassing the town ofJefferson to the north. The highway then comes to the town ofMedford, county seat of Grant County. In Medford, the road intersectsSH-11. From here, US-81 continues angling northeast across northern Grant County, passing the town ofRenfrow, the northernmost town in Oklahoma along US-81. The route then exits the state of Oklahoma, passing intoSumner County, Kansas, heading north towardCaldwell.[4]
Prior to the establishment of the U.S. Highway System, US-81's general corridor through Oklahoma was the site of theChisholm Trail, a principal route used oncattle drives from Texas to stockyards in Kansas.[8][9] With the introduction of theauto trails, this corridor was served by theMeridian Highway.[10] When the Oklahoma numbered highway system was established in 1925, the route that would eventually become US-81 was designated asState Highway 2.[11] The US-81 designation was applied the following year, on December 7, 1926.[2]
 State Highway 81A | |
|---|---|
| Location | Duncan, Oklahoma |
| Length | 0.71 mi[12] (1,140 m) |
State Highway 81A is a short loop off of US-81 in the city of Duncan. This route is 0.71 miles (1.14 km) long.[disputed –discuss] The highway begins at the intersection of US-81 and 13th Street, following 13th Street north to SH-7. SH-81A then turns east along SH-7 to 9th Street, where it turns north again. SH-81A forms the western terminus ofSH-7A at Main Street. It then turns west along Main Street until it intersects US-81 again at 16th Street. This is the northern terminus of SH-81A. The entire highway is unsigned.
| County | Location | mi[5] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red River | 0.00 | 0.00 |  US 81 south –Ringgold,Bowie | Continuation into Texas | |
| Texas–Oklahoma state line at the southern bank of the river | |||||
| Jefferson | Ryan | 10.3 | 16.6 |   SH-32 east (Washington Street) | Western terminus of SH-32 |
| Waurika | 20.2 | 32.5 |  US 70 | ||
| Stephens | Comanche | 35.2 | 56.6 |  SH-53 | |
| Duncan | 43.4 | 69.8 |  SH-81A | Southern terminus of SH-81A | |
| 44.0 | 70.8 |  SH-7 /Duncan Bypass | Interchange | ||
| 44.9 | 72.3 | SH-81A | Northern terminus of SH-81A | ||
| Marlow | 55.1 | 88.7 |  SH-29 | Western terminus of SH-29 | |
| Grady | Rush Springs | 63.3 | 101.9 |   US 81 Bus. north | Southern terminus of US-81 Bus. |
| 64.5 | 103.8 |  SH-17 | |||
| 65.9 | 106.1 | US 81 Bus. south | Northern terminus of US-81 Bus. | ||
| Ninnekah | 76.8 | 123.6 |    US 277 south /SH-19 west | Southern end of US-277/SH-19 concurrency | |
| 79.7 | 128.3 | SH-19 east | Northern end of SH-19 concurrency | ||
| Chickasha | 81.9 | 131.8 |   I-44 /H.E. Bailey Turnpike –Oklahoma City,Lawton | Interchange; I-44 exit 80 | |
| 83.8 | 134.9 |   US 277 north /US 62 /SH-9 east (Choctaw Avenue east) | Northern end of US-277 concurrency, Southern end of US-62/SH-9 concurrency | ||
| 85.5 | 137.6 | US 62 /SH-9 west | Northern end of US-62/SH-9 concurrency | ||
| Minco | 103.3 | 166.2 |  SH-37 east | Southern end of SH-37 concurrency | |
| 104.7 | 168.5 |  SH-37 /SH-152 west | Northern end of SH-37 concurrency, southern end of SH-152 concurrency | ||
| Canadian | Union City | 109.0 | 175.4 | SH-152 | Northern end of SH-152 concurrency |
| El Reno | 116.6 | 187.6 |    I-40 BL begins /I-40 –Oklahoma City,Amarillo | Interchange; I-40 exit 125; southern end of I-40 Bus. concurrency; eastern terminus of I-40 Bus. | |
| 117.1 | 188.5 | SH-66 east | Western terminus of SH-66; formerUS 66 east | ||
| 119.4 | 192.2 |  I-40 BL west (Sunset Drive) | Northern end of I-40 Bus. concurrency; formerUS 66 west | ||
| | 130.6 | 210.2 |  SH-3 east (Northwest Expressway) –Oklahoma City | Interchange; southern end of SH-3 concurrency | |
| Kingfisher | Kingfisher | 143.0 | 230.1 |  SH-3 west /SH-33 | Northern end of SH-3 concurrency |
| Hennessey | 161.5 | 259.9 |  SH-51 | ||
| Garfield | Enid | 180.6 | 290.6 |    US 60 west /US 412 (Owen K. Garriott Road) – Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, Welcome Center | Southern end of US-60 concurrency; access toINTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center |
| Chestnut Road west | Interchange | ||||
| 184.6 | 297.1 |  US 64 east (4th Street) /US 60 west / US 81 south (Van Buren Bypass) | Interchange; northbound access to US-64 east via U-turn north of exit; southern end of US-64 concurrency | ||
| 186.0 | 299.3 |  SH-45 | Eastern terminus of SH-45 | ||
| Grant | | 200.0 | 321.9 | US 64 west | Northern end of US-64 concurrency |
| Pond Creek | 204.1 | 328.5 | US 60 east | Northern end of US-60 concurrency | |
| Medford | 215.2 | 346.3 |  SH-11 | ||
| | 230.0 | 370.1 | US-81 north –South Haven | Continuation into Kansas | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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 U.S. Route 81 | ||
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| Previous state: Texas | Oklahoma | Next state: Kansas |
