The Creek Turnpike, also designated State Highway 364 (SH-364), is a toll road that lies entirely in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The controlled-access turnpike forms a partial beltway around the south and east sides of Tulsa, Oklahoma's second largest city. The Creek Turnpike's western terminus is at the Turner Turnpike in Sapulpa, while its northeastern terminus is at the Will Rogers Turnpike in Fair Oaks; both ends of the Creek Turnpike connect with Interstate 44 (I-44). Along the way, the highway passes through the cities of Sapulpa, Jenks, Tulsa, and Broken Arrow, and the counties of Creek, Tulsa, Wagoner and Rogers. The road is maintained by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA), except for a brief free section shared with U.S. Route 64 (US-64) and US-169, which is maintained by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).
The first section of the Creek Turnpike, from US-75 in Jenks to US-64/US-169 in Tulsa, was first authorized in 1987, with construction beginning in 1989. The turnpike's construction was controversial; homeowners along the route of the highway formed a group called Tulsans Against Turnpikes to fight the highway in both the courtroom and the media. The highway was also challenged on environmental grounds, with impacts upon wetlands and endangered species being the chief concerns. Nevertheless, the highway opened to traffic in three sections, starting from the easternmost, over the course of the first half of 1992.
Further extensions to both the east and the west followed in later years after several years of false starts under the administrations of two different governors. Expansion of the highway was finally approved in 1998. The extension to the west, linking the Creek Turnpike to the Turner Turnpike in Sapulpa, opened December 15, 2000. The extension to the east opened in three parts over the course of 2001 and 2002.
Flat-rate tolls are collected at three mainline toll plazas along the turnpike, as well as at several entrances and exits. Since February 8, 2023, toll collection on the Creek Turnpike has been all-electronic, with all tolls paid using PikePass or PlatePay (which uses automatic license plate recognition).
Route description
The Creek Turnpike begins at I-44 (Turner Turnpike) exit 217 in the city of Sapulpa. This interchange only provides access from eastbound I-44 to the Creek Turnpike and from the Creek Turnpike to westbound I-44. The turnpike runs in a general southeast direction from this terminus towards the Creek–Tulsa county line, crossing over Polecat Creek. Upon crossing into Tulsa County, the toll road turns to a more easterly course. The highway enters Jenks less than one mile (approximately 1.6 km) east of the county line. In Jenks, the highway has a modified cloverleaf interchange at US-75; the westbound Turnpike to southbound US-75 ramp is a directional ramp rather than a loop ramp. The Creek Turnpike then passes through the first of three barrier toll plazas. Near the interchange with Elm Street (signed as "Peoria–Elm"; Elm Street is named Peoria Avenue outside of Jenks), the highway bridges Polecat Creek again, before crossing the Arkansas River into Tulsa.
In Tulsa, the Creek Turnpike has an interchange at Memorial Drive, which carries US-64 south of the toll road. At this interchange, Creek Turnpike traffic merges with northbound US-64 onto a free road, forming the Mingo Valley Expressway. US-169 also begins at this interchange, heading north from here toward its other end in Virginia, Minnesota. As the Mingo Valley Expressway (carrying US-64/US-169) turns north, the Creek Turnpike exits to continue southeast. The highway leaves Tulsa, entering Broken Arrow, where it crosses over Haikey Creek. The turnpike passes through the second toll plaza, then turns back east.
In southeast Broken Arrow, the Creek Turnpike crosses the county line into Wagoner County and swings towards the north-northeast. It then meets SH-51, followed by the Muskogee Turnpike (SH-351) near that highway's western terminus. The Creek Turnpike passes through the third and final barrier toll after re-entering Tulsa. From the toll plaza, the turnpike proceeds north to end at the I-44/US-412 interchange, which straddles the Wagoner–Rogers County county line. The portion of the interchange that sits in Rogers County also lies in the town of Fair Oaks. The mainline Creek Turnpike becomes the Will Rogers Turnpike as eastbound I-44 merges onto the roadway.
Exit numbers are absent along the Creek Turnpike until the 51st Street South interchange, which is numbered as exit 28. Exit numbers are posted north of this interchange, continuing until the highway's terminus (exits 33A–B). The Creek Turnpike's exit numbering is used for the final two exits on the westbound Will Rogers Turnpike—the westbound-only Pine Street exit (exit 35) and the westbound I-44 ramp (exit 34).
The entirety of the Creek Turnpike has been recognized as important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by its inclusion in the National Highway System. In 2011, the highest average annual daily traffic (AADT) count was 26,900 vehicles eastbound and 26,476 vehicles westbound between the Yale Avenue and Memorial Drive interchanges. The lowest AADT counts, 4,426 vehicles eastbound and 4,463 vehicles westbound, were recorded between the 11th Street interchange and the northeastern terminus. Law enforcement along the Creek Turnpike is provided by Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troop XE, a special troop assigned to the turnpike.
History
Planning for the first segment As early as the late 1950s, plans for a Tulsa freeway system included a route along 96th Street South. The 96th Street corridor was accessible to more motorists than other corridors further south (farther away from the urban core), while still having low right-of-way costs, comparable to more southerly corridors. This made it the ideal route for a south Tulsa freeway. In 1986, ODOT had plans to build a toll-free facility called the Creek Freeway in the corridor as part of SH-117.
A south Tulsa turnpike was first authorized by OTA in 1987, the same time as three other turnpikes that would ultimately become the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and John Kilpatrick turnpikes. Eleven possible routings were researched before OTA settled on the 96th Street corridor as the site of the proposed turnpike. On February 16, 1989, OTA sold $558.4 million in revenue bonds (about $ in dollars) to cover the cost of all four proposed turnpikes.
As originally planned, the Creek Turnpike was to begin at US-75 and end at Memorial Drive, for a total length of . ODOT would then build a $26 million (approximately $ in dollars) freeway connection from the eastern terminus of the turnpike at Memorial Drive to tie in with the south end of the Mingo Valley Expressway. OTA intended the turnpike to be built on a "fast track", with construction to be complete by the close of 1991. The estimated cost to construct this first segment of the Creek Turnpike was $85 million (about $ in dollars). Initially, the highway was planned to have an median with a Jersey barrier, which would meet minimum AASHTO requirements of . Later plans expanded this to a grass median. Four toll plazas were planned, with one mainline plaza collecting a fifty-cent toll no matter what distance was traveled.
Tulsa requests changes Tulsa mayor Rodger Randle's committee on the Creek Turnpike submitted a report to OTA on April 13, 1989, requesting that the agency make 47 changes to the turnpike. Among the changes proposed by the city was a shift in the route of to the north between Yale Avenue and Sheridan Road to accommodate a greenway along both sides of the turnpike. The committee also recommended wider overpasses to accommodate future expansion of surface streets such as Delaware Avenue, moving the mainline toll plaza farther east to minimize impact on the surrounding area, and better compliance with local flood prevention ordinances. In addition, the report suggested better pedestrian access, including pedestrian bridges on both sides of the Arkansas River and near Hunter Park, and various sidewalks and pedestrian tunnels.
OTA immediately agreed that some of the more minor changes to the turnpike's plans could be made, but expressed doubt that more major alterations would be made. Several of the proposed changes, including the greenway, were highlighted as major expenses. Nonetheless, OTA agreed to evaluate the city's proposals. Board member (and future Tulsa mayor) Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr., said "We are not set in stone, but it's a matter of economics." Mayor Randle stated his desire for a written agreement regarding the changes to be drawn up and signed by the city and OTA before ground was broken on the turnpike.
On June 18, 1989, OTA officials announced that the majority of the city's proposed amendments to the Creek Turnpike would be incorporated into the design. The alterations added $6 million (about $ in dollars) to the cost of the project. However, the revised plan required the demolition of only 41 houses, six fewer than originally planned. Further alterations were negotiated throughout the latter half of 1989, with OTA and Tulsa reaching an agreement on December 29. The plans were adapted to include flood and noise control provisions. To meet these requirements, the highway would be lowered, with some sections below-grade. In exchange, the City of Tulsa agreed to pay $1.3 million in annual maintenance costs until 2020. The deal also included a land swap, with the city giving OTA land from Hunter Park and receiving land along the right-of-way to construct recreational trails.
Construction OTA began filing condemnation suits for homes within the Creek Turnpike's proposed right-of-way on June 30, 1989. Condemnation, the process by which a government exercises its powers of eminent domain, was required for OTA to seize properties necessary for the project when owners refused OTA buyout offers. Bids were opened for Creek Turnpike construction projects that November. Contracts for utility relocation, grading, and drainage work were awarded at OTA's November 16 meeting. Meanwhile, work began on the condemned properties, with contractors moving or demolishing houses on the affected lots from December 1989 to January 1990.
Drainage work was in progress by late February 1990. Construction was underway on turnpike bridges by March 1990. While federal environmental permits were being secured, the construction process was delayed; by October 1990, the bridge construction was only at the point that had been planned to have been completed in May, and grading and paving work had yet to begin. In December 1990, contractors on the Creek Turnpike project were given "notice to proceed", as the permits had been granted. By that time, construction had only progressed to the point that it was supposed to have been at in late July. Nevertheless, by April 1991, OTA's chief executive officer, Richard Ridings, described the project as "moving very well" and said "My own personal opinion is it's up to the contractors. If they want to produce, it can be open by the end of the year."
The first section of the Creek Turnpike to open was a segment from Delaware Avenue to its eastern terminus at Memorial Drive, which opened to traffic at 7 p.m. on March 13, 1992. Tolls were waived until 12:01 a.m. on March 16. The next section to the west, from Elm Street in Jenks to Delaware Avenue, including the Arkansas River bridge, opened the afternoon of April 15. The final leg of the first segment of the turnpike, from US-75 to Elm Street, opened at noon on July 30. The Creek Turnpike was initially posted with a speed limit, due to the National Maximum Speed Limit law then in effect. Traffic levels on the new highway were about double what was expected, with an average of 9,000 vehicles per day using the turnpike in August 1992; a 1988 estimate predicted only 3,000 to 5,000 vehicles would use the road each day.