| Oklahoma State Highway 3 |
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Information AboutOklahoma State Highway 3 |
Oklahoma State Highway 3, also abbreviated as '''OK 3''' or '''SH 3''', is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma . It is the longest state highway in the Oklahoma road system, at a total length of 616 mi (992 km) via OK 3E ( See Below ). Traveling diagonally through the state, from the Panhandle to the far southeastern corner of the state, OK 3 is believed to be one of the longest state highways in the nation. ROUTE DESCRIPTION In the northwest Highway 3 begins at the Colorado state line 19 mi (31 km) north of Boise City , Oklahoma . At this terminus, it is Triplexed with US 287 / US 385 . It remains triplexed with the two federal routes until reaching Boise City, where it encounters a Traffic Circle which contains five other highways. After the circle, US 385 splits off, and OK 3 is quadriplexed with US 287, US 56 , US 64 , and US 412 , though US 56 and US 287 both split off within the next eight miles. In Guymon , US 64 splits off. At Elmwood , US 270 joins US 412 and Oklahoma State Highway 33 . OK 3 remains duplexed with US 270 through Watonga. In Seiling , US 183 leaves the multiplex but is quickly replaced by U.S. Route 281 . OK 33 joins the roadbed twenty miles later. In Watonga , OK 33 and OK 3 split off from US 270 and US 281. Highways 3 and 33 remain duplexed for 28 more miles, until Kingfisher , where OK 3 joins U.S. Route 81 . It will stay duplexed with US 81 for 13 miles, through the town of Okarche . Three miles after Okarche, OK 3 leaves US 81. This marks the first point that OK 3 has not been part of a multiplex. Through Oklahoma City Beginning at the split from US 81, Highway 3 becomes a major artery in the Oklahoma City highway system, commonly known as the ''Northwest Expressway'' because it is a diagonal route and because it serves the northwestern part of the metro area. It skirts the northern limits of El Reno before entering the Oklahoma City limits. The often-congested Northwest Expressway passes through the suburb of Warr Acres and passes close to Lake Hefner . At the intersection with the Lake Hefner Parkway , OK 3 again re-enters a duplex. The Lake Hefner Parkway ends very shortly after, and OK 3 becomes duplexed with Interstate 44 through the western side of the city. Near Will Rogers World Airport , Highway 3 transfers to I-240 along the southern side of the city. After I-240 ends, OK 3 is transferred onto I-40 (also carrying US 270), which it remains duplexed with for 16 miles. OK 3E/3W split In Shawnee , OK 3 splits into two highways, OK 3E and '''OK 3W'''. OK 3W splits off of I-40 onto U.S. Route 177 , along with US 270 , at I-40 milemarker 181. It continues along with US 270 and 177 through the west side of Shawnee, and continues south of that city until Tecumseh , where US 270 splits off. South of Asher , Oklahoma , OK 3W leaves US 177 and veers southeast toward Ada. OK 3E, the longer of the two split routes, was the original routing of Highway 3 before the two highways were split. It remains on I-40 for five miles after OK 3W splits off. When it does split off, it soon joins OK 18 . It follows a route closer to the center of Shawnee. After leaving Shawnee, it heads southeast toward Seminole . Here, it meets US 377 / OK 99 . OK 3E merges onto this highway, and they will remain triplexed until after they reach Ada. In Ada , OK 3E and OK 3W are reunited and become OK 3 once again. Ada to Atoka OK 3 then becomes part of the Richardson Loop, a freeway around the east and south sides of Ada. Throughout the Richardson Loop, it duplexes with OK 1 and US 377/OK 99 at different times. The highway then becomes two-lane once again and heads southeast to the town of Coalgate , where begins an 18-mile (29 km) duplex with U.S. Route 75 , lasting through Atoka . In Atoka, US 75 splits off to join U.S. Route 69 . Antlers to Arkansas Two miles west of Antlers , the highway has an interchange with the Indian Nation Turnpike , and in Antlers it intersects U.S. Route 271 . After reaching the town of Broken Bow , Oklahoma , it turns southward and triplexes with US 259 and US 70 . Near Idabel , the highway splits off after being with US 259 for 13 mi (21 km). Twenty-eight miles later, it becomes Arkansas State Highway 32 as it crosses the state line into Arkansas . NOTES
OK 3A OK 3 has one lettered spur, OK 3A, which continues the alignment of the Northwest Expressway for two more miles before ending at Interstate 44. It was originally known as OK 66A, a spur off of U.S. Route 66 , which once ran through the area. The combined effect of US 66 being decommissioned and "3A" being a more logical name for an extension of Highway 3 led to the name change. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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