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43-643: Mary Sudik No. 1 well was developed by the Indian Territory Illuminating Oil Company on the property of Vincent and Mary Sudik. The well, located about 2,000 feet (610 m) to the southeast of the present intersection of Interstate 240 and Bryant Avenue, to the south of the Oklahoma City center, blew out when the drilling crew underestimated well pressures in the newly developed Wilcox formation, producing 20,000 barrels of oil and 200,000,000 cubic feet (5,700,000 m) of gas per day from

86-611: A SPUI, reconstruct the SH-9 interchange, and complete widening of I-35 to six lanes to the Canadian River. It was completed and opened in October 2017. In August 2018, construction began for a new bridge for Southwest 34th Street over I-35 in Moore . The road had previously been unconnected due to sections on either side of I-35 ending at the frontage roads for the interstate. During the project, I-35

129-574: A solution was unveiled that would retain access to Lindsey Street and reconstruct the interchange without displacing the dealership. In 2014, ODOT completed reconstruction of the Main Street interchange as a single-point urban interchange (SPUI) and widening of I-35 to just south of Main Street. In March 2015, ODOT began a two-year, $ 71 million project to reconstruct the Lindsey Street interchange as

172-470: A surface street, and travel on it northbound until they reach I-40, or continue east on I-40 before turning around at the next exit at Choctaw Road.) The section of what is now I-240 between I-35 and current I-44 was already complete in 1965 as an alignment of US-62. When the Interstate route was initially established in the 1960s, I-240 ran from its current eastern terminus around the city, turning north at

215-477: Is an Interstate Highway in southern Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , United States, that runs 26.8 miles (43.1 km) from I-40 to I-344 ( John Kilpatrick Turnpike )/ SH-152 . The Interstate overlaps State Highway 3 (SH-3) the longest Oklahoma state highway, for most of its length and functions as a southern bypass around the Downtown area . Major destinations along the route include Tinker Air Force Base and

258-618: The Kansas state line near Braman for a length of 236 miles (380 km). I-35 has one auxiliary route in the state, I-235 , in the inner city of Oklahoma City . A second auxiliary route, I-335, is the designation for the Kickapoo Turnpike , although it will not meet I-35 until the southern extension of the turnpike to a junction with I-35 in Purcell is built. Excluding the Panhandle , I-35 forms

301-457: The 6,471-foot (1,972 m) well. According to the well completion report, it produced 15,441 barrels of oil in a test run for 13 hours and 15 minutes. The crew had neglected to keep sufficient drilling mud in the well, and did not use a safety head , contrary to the accepted practice of the time, running the well "wild." The initial flow of gas from the well changed to oil after about a day, with oil fountaining up to 400 feet (120 m) into

344-576: The Interstate crossing over the Canadian River into Cleveland County , after which it splits off again. It then serves as a major urban Interstate in Norman and Moore . Between Norman and Moore, US-77 joins the Interstate again. It then enters Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County near milepost 120. Near downtown , I-35 splits off the mainline (which becomes I-235 /US-77) and runs concurrent with I-40 for one mile (1.6 km) before splitting off to

387-691: The Interstate for its entire length in Oklahoma. I-35 maintains a near–due north–south course through Love and Carter counties. I-35 provides four exits to Ardmore . After leaving Ardmore, it has a brief concurrency with State Highway 53 (SH-53) and enters Murray County and the Arbuckle Mountains . I-35 then passes through Garvin County and the county seat of Pauls Valley . North of exit 79 ( SH-145 ), I-35 enters McClain County . There, it passes through Purcell and Goldsby . SH-9 joins

430-610: The Kickapoo Turnpike and the Kilpatrick Turnpike. However, the designations were assigned as I-335 and I-344 respectively; I-240 would not be extended along the turnpikes in order to give the turnpikes distinctive designation. In March 2024, the OTA announced that it would extend I-240 along Airport Road to the junction with the Kilpatrick Turnpike when the turnpike was designated as I-344. SH-152's eastern terminus will be truncated to

473-673: The McCall Bridge over the Canadian River . Controversy surrounding the project arose when early drafts eliminated the SH-74A /Lindsey Street interchange (exit 108B), due to its proximity to the SH-9 interchange (exit 108A). A public meeting held in Norman attracted 300 attendees, many bearing "Don't Close Lindsey" signs. Attendees cited the impact on local businesses and those attending University of Oklahoma football games as grounds for opposing

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516-807: The Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved an extension to the I-240 designation to form a beltway around Oklahoma City. Starting in the existing eastern terminus, I-240 will run concurrent with I-40 to the Kickapoo Turnpike , then turn north and follow the Kickapoo Turnpike north to I-44 (the Turner Turnpike), then turn west along I-44 to the Kilpatrick Turnpike , following that road west and south to its current southern terminus at SH-152 , then turning east along SH-152 and following that road east to I-44, which it will overlap until reaching

559-491: The SH-9 interchange in Norman. This change will make the speed limit consistent in the area, where it previously was not (some of the area had 70 mph [110 km/h] speed limits). All of the new signs were installed by the end of March. ODOT began a redesign process for the I-35/ I-240 interchange in southeast Oklahoma City in 1998. It is currently a four-leaf cloverleaf interchange that has deemed to be outdated and

602-450: The air. Oil vapor blew in the wind as far as Norman , 11 miles (18 km) to the south. A safety zone was established around the well to prevent fire. The American Iron and Machine Company was engaged to cap the well, led by superintendent H. M. Myracle. The first attempt failed after twelve hours, but a second attempt restricted the flow, and oil was diverted into a pit until a final seal could be effected. A total of 211,600 barrels of oil

645-539: The blasting and removal of 4 million cubic yards (3.1 × 10 ^  m ) of rock. A few months later, in January ;1971, I-35 was finally completed across the State of Oklahoma, when the remaining portions of the Interstate from Purcell to SH-7 near Davis were opened to traffic. In 2008, ODOT announced plans to widen two miles (3.2 km) of I-35 through Norman, from the Main Street interchange (exit 109) to

688-405: The closure of the interchange. A former OU economics professor estimated the interchange's closure would cost Norman $ 100 million over the course of 15 years. At the meeting, four proposals were displayed, only one of which displayed no access from Lindsey Street. A second proposal would preserve access to Lindsey Street but require the seizure of a newly built Chevrolet dealership near

731-565: The current western terminus of I-240, bringing the total length of the proposed I-240 loop to 91 miles (146 km). If signed, it will become the longest complete beltway numbered as a single Interstate Highway in the US, supplanting I-275 in Cincinnati, Ohio , at 83.71 miles (134.72 km). ODOT Director Tim Gatz stated in the Transportation Commission meeting that the numbering change

774-540: The entire route from Oklahoma City northward to Braman by 1963 in several phases, including Edmond to Guthrie in 1960, Guthrie to Perry in 1961, Perry to Blackwell in 1962, and Blackwell to Braman in early 1963. To the south of Oklahoma City, I-35 was completed through Norman south to Purcell in June ;1959. In Moore , it opened in two parts: the northern half, connecting Moore to Oklahoma City, opened in January 1960. The southern half, linking it to Norman,

817-460: The farm to two additional quarter sections, one of which, bought in 1924, was the site of the wild well. Mary had been the first to sign the well lease, so the wells on the property were named after her. Mary Valish Sudik, a modest woman, was offered roles in a vaudeville tour and a movie. She and her husband instead moved into town and lived quietly on the royalties from the thirteen wells on their property. Mary died in 1942, her obituary appearing on

860-563: The front page of the Daily Oklahoman . Vincent died in 1940. Their son Orie was killed while working on a well in the Moore oil field of Oklahoma in 1945. The Mary Sudik No. 1 well was finally plugged on June 22, 1974 by the operator, Cities Service Oil Company . 35°23′06″N 97°27′14″W  /  35.38500°N 97.45389°W  / 35.38500; -97.45389 Interstate 240 (Oklahoma) Interstate 240 ( I-240 )

903-408: The heavily populated southside of Oklahoma City. With just under eight million square feet (0.74 × 10 ^  m ) of commercial space, I-240 is a major corridor of retail, industrial, and office space. As of 2012 , however, the corridor included some "pockets of shuttered stores and creeping shabbiness" and local planners were in the first stages of efforts to revitalize the corridor. From

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946-677: The highway, forming a new lane. This new lane then becomes an "exit only" lane for the next exit. However, the exits are not spaced very far apart, causing entering and exiting traffic to conflict. Signs were installed in October ;2004 designating the western half of I-240 as the Keith Leftwich Memorial Loop in honor of a state senator who had died around that time. I-240 meets I-35 at a cloverleaf interchange. US-62 splits off to join with I-35 northbound at this interchange. The section of I-240 east of I-35 exists primarily to serve

989-562: The improvements will change it to a multi-level interchange with dedicated interstate ramps, turnaround lanes, and service roads for improved city street access in six phases. Phase 1 began in early summer 2016 and was completed in May 2017 while phase 1A construction began in mid-June 2017 and was completed in summer 2018. Construction on phase 1B began on June 5, 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2025. The I-35 and SH-9 West interchange in Goldsby

1032-517: The informal bisector for central Oklahoma , and along with US 81 / US 283 in western Oklahoma and US 69 / US 75 in the eastern portion , it provides one of the main north-south corridors through the state. I-35 enters Oklahoma with U.S. Highway 77 (US-77) on a bridge over the Red River in Love County , south of Thackerville . US-77 splits off at exit 1 (Red River Road) but parallels

1075-485: The interchange. The third proposal would instead send the ramps around the dealership, and the fourth, the highest-cost alternate, would use bridges to prevent Lindsey Street and SH-9 traffic from conflicting. ODOT said their design standards did not require consideration of OU football traffic, because they only considered the 30th highest traffic percentile. One ODOT engineer was quoted as saying, "Otherwise, we'd have to 10-lane everything in Norman." In early 2011,

1118-494: The junction between the turnpike and I-240. ODOT began a redesign process for the I-35 /I-240 interchange in southeast Oklahoma City in 1998. It is currently a four-leaf cloverleaf interchange that has deemed to be outdated and the improvements will change it to a multi-level interchange with dedicated interstate ramps, turnaround lanes, and service roads for improved city street access in six phases. Phase 1 began in early summer 2016 and

1161-596: The location of the future Interstate north of Oklahoma City to the Kansas state line on a route previously surveyed by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority for a proposed toll road. As a free road, the first five miles (8.0 km) of that section of I-35 were opened to traffic in 1958 from US-177 near Braman north to the Kansas border, where it continued as the Kansas Turnpike . This was followed by completion of

1204-659: The metropolitan areas, and that update will really be beneficial as far as everything from signage to how do you describe that route on a green-and-white sign." The designation was approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in October 2021 with the condition that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approve it as well. In Fall 2023, the AASHTO approved an application from ODOT for an interstate designation on

1247-535: The north again. I-44 then joins I-35 between mileposts 133 and 137. In Edmond , US-77 joins the Interstate yet again. At milepost 146, I-35 enters Logan County . It serves Guthrie at exit 153 (South Division Street), where US-77 splits off, and at exit 157 ( SH-33 /East Noble Avenue). The Interstate then crosses the Cimarron River into Payne County and enters Noble County shortly thereafter. It provides two exits to Perry and serves as

1290-435: The now-closed General Motors plant and Tinker Air Force Base. This section is much less traveled, having only four lanes (two in each direction) for much of its length. At I-240's eastern terminus with I-40, motorists traveling eastbound on I-240 are forced to merge onto I-40 eastbound—there is no I-40 westbound offramp. (Those wishing to take I-40 westbound must exit off of I-240 one mile (1.6 km) earlier at Anderson Road,

1333-456: The present interchange with I-44, continuing on the present course of I-44 to its present southern junction with I-35. (I-44 ended near Edmond at the western end of the Turner Turnpike at the time.) I-240 thus nearly created a loop around the city, intersecting both I-35 and I-40 twice. The section east of I-35 to its eastern terminus at I-40 was completed in 1973. The entirety of the route

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1376-539: The section of Interstate bypassing Ardmore was completed north from US-70 two miles (3.2 km) to SH-142 , and, the following year, 1970, brought the completion of I-35 from SH-7 near Davis south to Ardmore, at long last bypassing the winding section of US-77 through the Arbuckle Mountains. This stretch through the Arbuckles was particularly expensive and difficult to construct, taking almost two years and requiring

1419-483: The southside of Norman in the early 1970s. Further south, I-35 was completed from Marietta south to the Red River bridge in 1963, at which point a nearly 90-mile (140 km) gap of uncompleted Interstate would exist between Purcell and Marietta until the late 1960s with traffic continuing to be routed over paralleling US-77. This was in large part due to efforts of the towns of Wynnewood , Paoli , and Wayne fighting to keep I-35 as close as possible to US-77. This

1462-488: The western terminus at I-344, I-240 runs east towards I-44 along airport road, it then goes concurrent with I-44 to U.S. Highway 62 (US-62)/SH-3, it then runs east toward I-35 . This western half is the busier of the two sections, serving the Southside area of Oklahoma City and traffic headed to the airport. This segment has a configuration of ramps that causes much weaving and many accidents. An entrance ramp merges onto

1505-818: The western terminus of the Cimarron Turnpike ( US-412 ). After providing access to Tonkawa and Blackwell in Kay County , it crosses into Kansas, becoming the Kansas Turnpike . Some sections of I-35 in Oklahoma City were already built in 1953 before the Interstate System was created. Following the passage of the Federal Highway Act of 1956 that created the Interstate Highway System, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) approved

1548-421: Was a section in the vicinity of Lindsey Street in the southern portion of Norman where another at-grade intersection still existed which dated back to the original highway's construction in the early 1950s—this was also brought up to full Interstate Highway standards in 1967 with the construction of interchanges on I-35 at Lindsey and a short distance to the south for the future SH-9 bypass that would be built around

1591-477: Was briefly shut down after construction debris was blown off the bridge and onto the roadway on April 13, 2019. The overpass was not damaged; the debris blown off it was scaffolding and plywood. The bridge was completed and opened on November 21, 2019. It was announced in February 2022 that the speed limit of the freeway would become 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) from 89th Street in Oklahoma City to just south of

1634-430: Was complete in 1976. Once completed, I-240 was 31.76 miles (51.11 km) long. As part of Oklahoma's 75th anniversary (Diamond Jubilee) celebrations in 1982, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) extended I-44 to Lawton and Wichita Falls, Texas , along the H.E. Bailey Turnpike . This caused the western terminus of I-240 to be truncated to I-44 near Will Rogers World Airport . On August 2, 2021,

1677-617: Was completed in May 2017 while phase 1A construction began in mid-June 2017 and was completed in summer 2018. Construction on phase 1B began on June 5, 2023, and is expected to be completed in 2025. The entire route is in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma County . Interstate 35 (Oklahoma) Interstate 35 ( I-35 ), in the US State of Oklahoma , runs from the Red River at the Texas border to

1720-549: Was opened to traffic in June 1967. The Moore–Norman segment was originally a four-lane section of US-77 built in 1951 that did not meet full Interstate Highway standards and included several at-grade intersections within the City of Moore, including some with traffic signals, and upgraded accordingly to include grade separations to bring up to full Interstate Highway standards and frontage roads to serve local traffic needs. Also not up to full Interstate Highway standards prior to 1967

1763-494: Was primarily to aid in navigation using digital mapping and routing applications. Gatz also said, "If you look at the Interstate ;240 designation on the loop around the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, we are finally to the point where we have a truly contiguous route there that can shoulder the burden of some of that transportation need in a loop format. That's common practice across the country, and you'll see that in many of

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1806-693: Was recovered from the vicinity of the well, and as many as 800,000 barrels were believed to have been wasted. Once controlled, Mary Sudik No. 1 was the most productive well in the world in 1930. The blowout, and a similar gas well blowout in Oklahoma City the day after the Mary Sudik well was brought under control, stimulated the development and use of blowout preventers as standard equipment in petroleum well drilling, and resulted in greater regulation of well drilling in Oklahoma City. The Sudiks were Czech immigrants who moved to Oklahoma from Nebraska in 1904 to buy their 160-acre (65 ha) dairy farm. They expanded

1849-589: Was successful due to a threat from Governor Henry Bellmon to build a toll road rather than I-35, and legislation preventing state funds for the Interstate from being spent if it were more than one mile (1.6 km) from the U.S. Highway. The uncompleted gap of I-35 in Southern Oklahoma was narrowed in 1967 and 1968 when two sections were completed from US-70 / SH-199 in Ardmore south to SH-32 in Marietta. In 1969,

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