Interstate 244, also known as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Expressway, the Crosstown Expressway, and the Red Fork Expressway, is a -long east-west Interstate Highwaybypass route of Interstate 44 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. At both I-244's western and eastern terminus, the highway connects with Interstate 44. I-244 runs from the western bank of the Arkansas River, across the river and past downtown Tulsa, before running through the northern half of the city and connecting again with Interstate 44. In downtown Tulsa, I-244 forms the northern and western legs of the "Inner Dispersal Loop". The southern and eastern legs are formed by the unsignedI-444.
Route description
I-244 begins at a stack interchange with I-44 and a short segment of the Gilcrease Expressway that is disconnected from the rest of that highway. I-244 continues northeast from here, running parallel to Southwest Boulevard. Two interchanges provide access to 33rd West Avenue, 40th Place, and Southwest Boulevard. US-75 northbound then merges into I-244 eastbound at exit 2, forming a concurrency with the interstate; US-75 south of here is a freeway headed south toward Glenpool and Okmulgee. The next three interchanges only provide partial access to the roads they link to. Exit 3A, which lacks a westbound exit ramp, provides access to Southwest Boulevard; exit 3B to 21st Street and Union Avenue and exit 4A to 17th Street and Southwest Boulevard, provide only a westbound exit and eastbound entrance. North of exit 4A, I-244 and US-75 cross the Arkansas River. Exit 4B marks I-244's entry into the Inner Dispersal Loop, a ring of freeways encircling downtown Tulsa. At exit 4B, the southwest corner of the loop, US-75 splits away from I-244, joining I-444, which begins at this interchange and proceeds along the south and east edges of the loop. US-64 and SH-51 westbound join I-244 at this interchange, continuing along the west side of the loop with the interstate. Two partial interchanges, exits 4C and 5A, provide access to downtown Tulsa streets. I-244 then reaches the northwest corner of the IDL. At this point lies an interchange with two other freeways. US-64 and SH-51 split away from I-444 here to join westbound US-412, forming the Keystone Expressway. The L.L. Tisdale Parkway continues north from here. I-244 turns east from here, following the north leg of the IDL, joined by US-412 eastbound, which will overlap I-244 for the remainder of the highway. Three more exits to downtown streets are along this leg of the loop. At the northeast corner of the loop, I-244 junctions with I-444, which ends at this interchange, and US-75, which continues north toward Bartlesville. I-244 and US-412 exit the loop on an easterly course. East of the IDL, I-244 and US-412 run generally parallel to Admiral Place. This segment of the interstate provides access to several major north–south streets, including Lewis, Harvard, and Yale avenues. The interchanges at Sheridan Road and Memorial Drive are inverted SPUIs with left-hand entrance and exit ramps intersecting the surface street at a single traffic signal. East of here, I-244 intersects the Gilcrease Expressway again at its eastern terminus; this interchange also forms the eastern terminus of SH-11, which runs along the Gilcrease for its easternmost stretch. The next interchange to the east, serving Mingo Road, provides an exit for eastbound traffic and an entry to westbound traffic. I-244 then junctions with US-169, the Mingo Valley Expressway. East of US-169 lie a parclo interchange with Garnett Road and a partial interchange, providing only an eastbound exit and westbound entrance, with 129th East Avenue. I-244 then reaches its eastern terminus at a yield sign, where it merges into eastbound I-44 / SH-66. US-412 continues east along I-44.
History
Future
Replacement of Westbound Bridge across the Arkansas River
The I-244 bridges have already reached the end of their service lives. The westbound bridge was closed and demolition begun in June 2011. Demolition was 85% complete as of August 1. The demolished structure will be replaced by a double-deck, multimodal span. The top deck will carry vehicles, and the lower deck will have a pedestrian way and two railroad tracks. Completion is scheduled for 2013. Extreme care has been used during the demolition to avoid vibrations that might further damage the historic 11th Street Bridge.
