3 hour and 45 minute drive from Dallas to Tulsa

[Hometown]

Highway 75 in Tulsa and Central Freeway in Dallas are the same road but a lot of little towns get in the way between here and there.

Not long ago I read that OKC was looking to create a direct highway link to Denver.  Now there’s a city that understands commerce.

Then I try to drive to Dallas but find that Highway 75 and the Indian Nations Turnpike peter out into little towns with speed traps and stop signs.  

If we had a direct highway connection to Dallas we would cut 45 minutes off of the 4.5 hour drive and chances are some of that money busting out of those corporate palaces lining Central Freeway would roll on up to T-town.

Tulsa looks awful sweet and cheap from the vantage of big bossy Dallas.  Bet they would think we are a bargain and do some business here.  What are we going to have to do to get uninterrupted 4 lane highway between here and Dallas?

[Gold]

But, you see, any change would require support from the state of Oklahoma.  They already charge on every highway out of town that goes anywhere in any amount of time you'd want to get there in; why make it easier on us?

I agree, that "highway" through Atoka, etc., is basically welfare for those towns and their police departments.

I do get a good chuckle of the pictures of Gene Stipe at Pete's Place when I'm in that part of the world.

[TUalum0982]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

Highway 75 in Tulsa and Central Freeway in Dallas are the same road but a lot of little towns get in the way between here and there.

Not long ago I read that OKC was looking to create a direct highway link to Denver.  Now there’s a city that understands commerce.

Then I try to drive to Dallas but find that Highway 75 and the Indian Nations Turnpike peter out into little towns with speed traps and stop signs.  

If we had a direct highway connection to Dallas we would cut 45 minutes off of the 4.5 hour drive and chances are some of that money busting out of those corporate palaces lining Central Freeway would roll on up to T-town.

Tulsa looks awful sweet and cheap from the vantage of big bossy Dallas.  Bet they would think we are a bargain and do some business here.  What are we going to have to do to get uninterrupted 4 lane highway between here and Dallas?

it takes you 4.5 hrs to make it into Dallas? The last time I checked, it was only about 210 miles to dallas from my house, which if I do the quick math, would make the avg speed about 46.6 mph.  I know there are quite a few small towns with lower speed limits, but you can do 80-85mph on the indian nation, and 70-75 from the texas state line all the way through denison, sherman and north dallas.  How does it take 4.5hrs??

[Hometown]

That is Mapquest's time estimate from my house in North Tulsa to my friend's home in Oak Cliff.  4.5 hours.  I guess they are figuring in the time spent behind slow trucks on 2 lane highway and all those stop signs and reduced speed zones in small towns.

Now if you are driving from 71st Street and Hwy 75 to LBJ Freeway you could reduce the total time a little.

My guesstimate is that if we had uninterrupted 4 lane from here to there we could shave 45 minutes off of the time it takes to drive from here to there.

But I'll go with your numbers.  Would you agree that a direct uninterrupted drive to Dallas might save business some money and improve business between there and here?

[AVERAGE JOE]

The State government in Oklahoma City will continue to block any attempts to create a legitimate highway between Tulsa and Dallas. They want the growth corridor you described to be I-35 through OKC. They have no interest in furthering Tulsa's fortunes in that regard. It will never happen. Not in our lifetimes.

[Hometown]

quote:Originally posted by AVERAGE JOE

The State government in Oklahoma City will continue to block any attempts to create a legitimate highway between Tulsa and Dallas. They want the growth corridor you described to be I-35 through OKC. They have no interest in furthering Tulsa's fortunes in that regard. It will never happen. Not in our lifetimes.

I believe you.  And this is exactly what I am getting at.  How did OKC accomplish this?  How can we overcome it?  We have the wealthiest zip code in OK.  We have a pool of very talented attorneys.  Why can't this be changed?

It is as if there was a decision made that the state can only support one city and we lost out.  I want to fight back.

[Gold]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

quote:Originally posted by AVERAGE JOE

The State government in Oklahoma City will continue to block any attempts to create a legitimate highway between Tulsa and Dallas. They want the growth corridor you described to be I-35 through OKC. They have no interest in furthering Tulsa's fortunes in that regard. It will never happen. Not in our lifetimes.

I believe you.  And this is exactly what I am getting at.  How did OKC accomplish this?  How can we overcome it.  We have the wealthiest zip code in OK.  We have a pool of very talented attorneys.  Why can't this be changed?

Pay off all the small districts representing dirt and maybe you have a shot.  Don't hold your breath.

We can't even get I-44 widened effeciently.

[Renaissance]

quote:Originally posted by TUalum0982

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

Highway 75 in Tulsa and Central Freeway in Dallas are the same road but a lot of little towns get in the way between here and there.

Not long ago I read that OKC was looking to create a direct highway link to Denver.  Now there’s a city that understands commerce.

Then I try to drive to Dallas but find that Highway 75 and the Indian Nations Turnpike peter out into little towns with speed traps and stop signs.  

If we had a direct highway connection to Dallas we would cut 45 minutes off of the 4.5 hour drive and chances are some of that money busting out of those corporate palaces lining Central Freeway would roll on up to T-town.

Tulsa looks awful sweet and cheap from the vantage of big bossy Dallas.  Bet they would think we are a bargain and do some business here.  What are we going to have to do to get uninterrupted 4 lane highway between here and Dallas?

it takes you 4.5 hrs to make it into Dallas? The last time I checked, it was only about 210 miles to dallas from my house, which if I do the quick math, would make the avg speed about 46.6 mph.  I know there are quite a few small towns with lower speed limits, but you can do 80-85mph on the indian nation, and 70-75 from the texas state line all the way through denison, sherman and north dallas.  How does it take 4.5hrs??

Mapquest has the drive from downtown to downtown as 4:18.  Going from Tulsa to Dallas takes me right at 4.0 hrs, moving as fast as I can without getting a ticket, on a Sunday morning.  Always takes more like 4.5 going the other way out of Dallas, because of commuter traffic going as far north as McKinney.

I drive this a lot and would love a super-slab to get from point A to point B as fast as possible.  BUT--to play a little devil's advocate--this would also mean missing out on all the produce stands and junk sales that give southeastern Oklahoma ("Little Dixie") so much character.  Moving traffic off of the main streets to an interstate would cost the economies of small towns like Atoka and Savanna, and not just in speeding tickets (the one ticket I got recently was courtesy of the Caddo police department, right where the road becomes a four lane divided highway south of the Bryan-Atoka county line).

You put an interstate in that corridor, and you will trade mom and pop stands selling preserves for Chili's and Outback Steakhouses.  Just look at the difference between Durant and Atoka.  There's some value in small town traffic throughfares.

Also, how would you route around Okmulgee/Glenpool?

[Hometown]

I'm old enough to remember driving 66 to LA.  And I found the best fried chicken I've had since I was a kid in Henryetta on the way back from Dallas, but ...

We are talking about livelihoods.  I want to make as much money as my counterparts in Dallas.  I want Tulsa to thrive.  

My mother always said "charity begins at home."

Atoka and Durant can take care of themselves.  And I say drive right past Okmulgee and don't let them off the 4-lane until they've reached beautiful T-town, where they can spend all the money they want.

Payoffs?  Good point Gold.  I'm ready to pay another penny tax or whatever it takes to bribe all the podunk districts necessary.

[Gold]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown


Payoffs?  Good point Gold.  I'm ready to pay another penny tax or whatever it takes to bribe all the podunk districts necessary.

Why do you think that part of the state has a huge prison and a mental health facility? []

[joiei]

according to Google maps

from 6th and Denver to Knox and Henderson the mileage and drive time are 253 mi – about 4 hours 16 mins

From my trips that sounds about right.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by Hometown

That is Mapquest's time estimate from my house in North Tulsa to my friend's home in Oak Cliff.  4.5 hours.  I guess they are figuring in the time spent behind slow trucks on 2 lane highway and all those stop signs and reduced speed zones in small towns.

Now if you are driving from 71st Street and Hwy 75 to LBJ Freeway you could reduce the total time a little.

My guesstimate is that if we had uninterrupted 4 lane from here to there we could shave 45 minutes off of the time it takes to drive from here to there.

But I'll go with your numbers.  Would you agree that a direct uninterrupted drive to Dallas might save business some money and improve business between there and here?

4.5 hours is probably accurate if you are talking about driving from north of the IDL to Oak Cliff.  Mostly due to congestion getting through Dallas.

I think the whole route has only been 4 lanes in the last 20 years.  I still remember parts of the road between McAllester and Atoka being two lanes as recently as '88 or '90.

I used to make it from roughly 101st & Yale to my hotel within a mile of Texas Stadium in 3:50 to 4:00 (after four-laning all the way) if I left around 6pm from Tulsa, that avoided most of the traffic.  I'd take 75 all the way to the north loop of LBJ West then over to Irving.  IMO, the few speed zones and traffic lights won't eat up near the time that rush hour congestion will.  By-passing the bumpkinville trail would likely only save 10 to 15 minutes overall.

Not arguing it wouldn't be a good idea to by-pass, but OKC won't get around to it for years.  Maybe it could be more reality now that Gene Stipe is no longer running the state.

Interestingly, it didn't take much more time to go "door-to-door" from home to my destination in Dallas whether I flew there or drove.  If I was going for the day, it made better sense to fly, just to avoid an donkey-pain 8 hour drive.  If I was going to be there a week, I couldn't stand to be w/o my car.

[Hometown]

Conan, just one of those Bumpkinvilles takes 15 minutes.  If you get stuck behind a truck forget it.  And there's still some two lane between here and there.  I want Autobahn.  Good for the bottom line.

[Renaissance]

Agree to disagree--I see the value in terms of commerce, but I also like stopping to get fresh peaches on my way between stops.  

The other annoying thing I could do without is that casino down there--sometimes traffic backs up at the stoplights and you lose time.

[Gold]

quote:Originally posted by Floyd

Agree to disagree--I see the value in terms of commerce, but I also like stopping to get fresh peaches on my way between stops.  

The other annoying thing I could do without is that casino down there--sometimes traffic backs up at the stoplights and you lose time.

I can't stand that stoplight.  I've come through there so many times in highway mode.  That part of the road is just a mess.