Ultimate Interstates:Corridor 45
Ultimate Interstate 45 is a proposed interstate corridor that extends I-45 north from Dallas, Texas to Overland Park, Kansas via the Tulsa Metro area.
Current I-45 Status and Development
Interstate 45 is a major Interstate Highway that is currently located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. Considering I-45's rather short length as a transcontinental interstate corridor (due to its x5 numbering) it is of vital importance since it connects the major metropolitan areas Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston/Galveston. Discussion in the past of extending I-45 northward has not taken alot of traction however existing corridor development to the north would make upgrading the corridor northward more favorable, Much of US-75 north of Dallas is already grade separated expressway and at or near interstate standards. Moving up into Oklahoma however, there are some sections of US-75 and US-69 that are not yet at interstate standards but there are many upgraded expressway and freeway sections that would allow for possible up conversion to interstate standards with some bypasses needed around some cities. Further north in Kansas some sections would need to be constructed on new terrain while others would improve existing 2 and 4 lane highways. North of Fort Scott however, the US-69 highway is already at interstate standards.
Indyroads Recommended Routing
The recommended routing as shown in the maps would extend I-45 northward along unsigned I-345 (replacing it) and would continue north along US-75 toward the Oklahoma Border where it picks up US-69 (in Denison, TX). The route would then continue to follow US-69/75 northward to Atoka, OK. From there the highway would continue along the US-69 routing through McAlester and Muskogee, OK ultimately reaching I-44 (Will Rogers Turnpike) near Big Cabin, OK. The route would follow along I-44 for approximately 30 miles to Miami, OK. From there the route would follow along or near OK-69A towards Picher, OK and Baxter Springs, KS, following near US-69 ALT and then north along or near US-69 toward Pittsburg and Ft Scott, KS bypassing both cities. From there it would continue up the US-69 freeway north to Overland Park, KS terminating at I-35 in Lenexa, KS.
Auxiliary Routes
Ultimate Interstate 145 is an auxiliary interstate route that would connect Tulsa, OK to I-45 near McAlester, OK using the northern section of the Indian Nation Turnpike (OK-75) and continuing north along the US-75 freeway/expressway into Tulsa, OK terminating at I-244.
Purpose and Need
Ideally offering this connection would provide a better through route to Kansas City, St. Louis, and the northern plains cities that currently must use the existing I-35 corridor. Additionally, many cities along the corridor would benefit from the positive economic impact of having a major north south interstate corridor passing through. This corridor, in conjunction with the other planned interstate corridors, such as I-69, I-49, and I-42 (OK-AR)) would improve interconnectability as well providing alternatives for long distance traffic to have more direct access to some destinations, while bypassing other congested metro areas resulting in energy savings and less pollution.
Alternate Routings
Alternate routings are represented by the dotted blue or magenta lines.
- Alternative Routing 1
- Follows Ultimate Interstate 145 from McAlester to Tulsa (Indian Nation Tpk/US-75)
- Follows I-44 and rejoins Ultimate Interstate 45 at Miami, OK
- Alternative Routing 2
- Follows Ultimate Interstate 145 from McAlester to Tulsa (Indian Nation Tpk/US-75)
- Follows US-169 north of Tulsa to Iola, KS then heads west near US-54 and rejoins Ultimate Interstate 45 at Ft Scott, KS
- Alternative Routing 3
- Follows Ultimate Interstate 145 from McAlester to Tulsa (Indian Nation Tpk/US-75)
- Follows along US-169 north of Tulsa into Kansas then terminates at I-35 near Olathe, KS
- Alternative Routing 1A
- Follows Ultimate Interstate 145 from McAlester to Tulsa (Indian Nation Tpk/US-75)
- Diverts to a possible alternate routing near Okmulgee, OK traversing along a new expressway alignment to the Creek Turnpike (OK-364) near Broken Arrow, OK
- From there it Follows the Creek Turnpike (OK-345) northward until it reaches I-44 east of Tulsa.
- From there it Follows I-44 and rejoins Ultimate Interstate 45 at Miami, OK
Proposed Improvements
Pittsburg Bypass
The Crawford County Corridor is a proposed freeway bypass project being proposed by KDOT to improve US-69 from 1 to 3 miles north of Arma to US-400 south of Pittsburg. Initially Four proposed alignments were being studied for improvements to the highway in Crawford County. Of the 4 options the second western option was chosen as the preferred option due to less right of way encroachments at the north and south ends of the project. A connecting road from the south end of the project would have then tied the new bypass to the existing route about 1 mile south of US-400/K-171. The bypass project was moving forward until the cities of Alma, Frontenac, and Pittsburg Kansas passed resolutions removing their support of the western bypass option citing concerns about the impact of the western alignment of the route and asking the state to reconsider the routing. The cities are concerned about possible negative economic impacts of moving the highway further away. These cities prefer a more centralized alternative instead. As a result, the state is going back to the study phase to consider different possible alternatives. The map to the right shows the 4 potential alternatives considered. However, it remains to be seen in the next 2 years what will come out of the study going forward.
- Western Routing
- Option 1 Begins in the north from 1/2 mile north of 650th Ave curving off to the west to about 2 miles west of existing US-69 bypassing Alma, Frontenac, and Pittsburg before ending at US-400 at the Crawford/Cherokee county line, 1/2 mile west of the Kansas Crossing casino.
- Option 2 Begins in the north from just south of 670th Ave curving off to the west to about 2 miles west of existing US-69 bypassing Alma, Frontenac, and Pittsburg before ending at US-400 at the Crawford/Cherokee county line 1 mile west of the Kansas Crossing casino. This option became the preferred option for the bypass.
- the proposed interchanges for the western options are:
- 640th Ave
- K-47 (620th Ave)
- US-160 (590th Ave)
- 570th Ave/West Atkinson Ave
- K-126 (W 4th St)
- 520th Ave
- US-400/K-171 (End of Freeway)
- Central Routing
- follows along the existing routing to approximately 1/2 mile west of the existing routing
- the proposed interchanges for the central option are:
- N West St/Business 69
- K-47 (620th Ave)
- US-160 (590th Ave)
- W Atkinson Ave
- K-126 (W 4th St)
- Business 69/Broadway
- US-400/K-171 (End of Freeway)
- Eastern Routing
- Begins in the north from 1/2 mile north of 650th Ave curving off to the east to about 1-3 miles east of existing US-69 following a meandering route around the east sides of Alma, Frontenac, and Pittsburg before rejoining the existing US-69 alignment 1/4 mile south of the Crawford/Cherokee county line.
- the proposed interchanges for the eastern option are:
- E South St/640th Ave
- K-47 (620th Ave)
- US-160 (590th Ave)
- E Atkinson Ave/570th Ave
- K-126 (E 4th St)
- Business 69/Broadway
- US-400/K-171
April 2025 Update
KDOT has been continuing to go back to having open houses to determine the needs for the corridor as well as being able to address some of the concerns brought up by local residents, stakeholders, crawford county and city governments invested in process. Because of this the immediate focus of the corridor study has changed regarding immediate and potential minor improvements to be made through 2030. This corridor had been under study and planning for full freeway upgrade with preliminary plans dating all the way back to 1999, with the initial EIS/EIR study completed in 2012 with a finding of no significant inpact (FONSI) and plans to proceed with the project in late 2023. The resulting outcry and withdrawal of support from several cities has stymied the project leaving the freeway with an uncertain future and KDOT making the following statement:
"KDOT is currently planning upgrades to some of the traffic signals, as well as speed feedback signs. Aside from these, there are no plans for this stretch of U.S. 69 highway. KDOT wants to collect community input and analyze updated traffic and crash data before making any decisions."
This could leave the door open potentially for a freeway in the future, but based on the statement and details available on the project website, it appears that this may be in the distant future. One can only assume if that means 2040 or 2050 or beyond. At any rate we remain steadfast in our support of a full limited access freeway corridor maintained from I-35 to I-44 in eastern Kansas, and this includes construction of this segment as a freeway.
You can read more about the project from the KDOT US69 Crawford County Study Website
June 2025 Update
KDOT has come back with its final concepts for improvements to be made to the Pittsburg to Arma corridor totaling an expected cost of $43 Million dollars to 'upgrade' the corridor and improve safety between 2026 to 2029. These improvements will provide a little relief to addressing the congestion and safety considerations along the corridor by partially restricting access along certain portions of the route, including RIRO (Right-in/Right-Out) access, the construction of 1 of 3 planned roundabouts, installation of additional traffic signage, signalized interchanges, and rumble strips. 2 additional roundabouts, 2 sweeping right (right turn channelization) ramps, and the addition of left turn and right turn acceeration and deceleration lanes are still being considered in the future and have yet to be funded for construction.
So, we have went from being nearly ready to start major construction of a long-needed freeway bypass that would have enhanced the region and would have been completed substantially by 2030 to now a handful of significantly inadequate minor improvements with a significantly hefty price tag. Ultimately, some of these improvements are needed, such as a roundabout at North Broadway and Atkinson for one. But this will not improve interstate commerce, it will not create the 4-lane freeway corridor originally imagined by KDOT when the northern portions of the expressway were constructed and opened. This effectively leaves US-69 as a dead-end in northern Crawford County because from there interstate traffic must then negotiate a network of narrow and congested 2-lane roads to continue further south. This is dissapointing to say the least.
Hopefully KDOT still has the greater vision of constructing the 4-lane through the region long term and is just addressing local concerns on the short term. By having capitulated so far to the cities of Arma, Frontenac, and Pittsburg they have set the area up to miss out on the benefits of being connected to a major commercial corridor. Something that neighboring Missouri took advantage of when they upgraded the US-71 corridor to what is now I-49. This has undoubtedly had a positive impact on cities along the corridor including Carthage, Lamar, Nevada, Butler, Appleton City, and Harrisonville. Benefits that could also bring similar growth to cities like Baxter Springs, Pittsburg, Arma, Fort Scott, and Pleasanton.
Fort Scott Bypass
The Fort Scott Bypass is a preliminarily proposed freeway bypass project being considered by KDOT to improve US-69 from 1 mile north of Fort Scott to K-7/US69 Junction approximately 5 miles south of Fort Scott traveling around the east side of the city. The potential alignment shown in the illustration is for illustration purposes only depicting a possible location of the bypass route, as nothing has officially been proposed along the corridor.
Recent improvements to the US69 mainline between Wall Street and 18th were just completed in 2023 along a previously improved expressway section that would be difficult to upgrade to a full freeway for several reasons. First is the tight geometry due to several curves along this section of expressway, secondly, the expressway abruptly ends at the south end curving on to main street leaving no option for extending the expressway further south. Third, converting intersections at 3rd Street, 6th Street, and 12th Street to grade separated crossings or intersections would also be difficult due to elevation issues and lack of room to build bridge approaches without elevating the expressway. It does appear that at one time the extension of this expressway was planned further southward. Evidence of this is visibileif you look at what appears to be an exit ramp built into the East National Ave bridge at the south end and noticeably vacant land located to the immediate southeast where the expressway would have likely curved to the southeast then crossing the railroad tracks and continuing south.
Should a bypass be constructed potential exits would likely be constructed at:
- US-54 West/US-69 Business/K-7 on the north end
- Wall Street/US-54 East
- Jayhawk Rd
- K-7/US69 Business in the south as the bypass reconnects to the existing routing in the south.
- Partial interchange at Grand Road
Construction of the bypass is most definitely needed in order to fulfill the goal of having a full interstate quality freeway from Kansas City to Interstate 44 through southeast Kansas, which if completed could become part of the Interstate 45 corridor if it is ever extended north of Dallas. While there is concerns and some opposition to it due to the potential threat of economic decline, such as has been witnessed in smaller towns like Pleasanton, there are ways to mitigate this and promote the city as a regional center, thus protecting its commerce and keeping it a destination city, rather than a town to just drive around on your way to somewhere else. These same concerns are also part of the reason why there has been much consternation regarding the freeway bypasses proposed around Pittsburg and Frontenac. It remains to be seen if attempts move forward with the bypass will come however it looks like it will be several years if not decades before a Fort Scott bypass could become a reality.
Fort Scott to Arma
Upgrades were completed along US69 from the K-7 junction south of Fort Scott to Arma constructing the 2-lane segment into a 4-lane expressway with at grade intersections spaced 1 mile apart. Plans also call for the eventual upgrade of the corridor to full freeway standards with limited access grade separation and property access maintained by the use of frontage roads to connect to interchanges along the corridor
The proposed upgrades to freeway standard include:
- Connect to the planned Pittsburg Bypass (Crawford County Corridor) south of the 680th Ave intersection
- Upgrade 680th Ave to a standard diamond interchange
- Close access at 690th Ave - Convert to cul-de-sac/access via adjoining roads
- Grade separation at 700th Ave
- Upgrade 710th Ave to a standard diamond interchange
- Grade separation at 720th Ave
- Close access at 730th Ave - Convert to cul-de-sac/access via adjoining roads
- Close access at Birch Rd - Convert to cul-de-sac/access via adjoining roads
- Grade separation at Cavalry Rd
- Close access at Deer Rd - Convert to cul-de-sac/access via frontage/adjoining roads
- Upgrade Eagle Rd to a standard diamond interchange
- Close access at Fern Rd - Access via frontage road
- Grand Rd access would remain at grade (likely to be upgraded in the future or due to long range planning for a Fort Scott bypass)
Officially the state opted to move forward with the upgradable expressway for the time being due to the expressway meeting the traffic needs for the foreseeable future. However right of way has been preserved for the ultimate upgrade of the highway to full freeway standards possibly by 2040.