State Highway 3, also abbreviated as SH-3 or OK-3, is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Traveling diagonally through Oklahoma, from the Panhandle to the far southeastern corner of the state, SH-3 is the longest state highway in the Oklahoma road system, at a total length of via SH-3E (see below).
Route description
In the northwest
SH 3 begins at the Colorado state line north of Boise City, Oklahoma. At this terminus, it is concurrent with US-287/US-385. It remains concurrent with the two U.S. Routes until reaching Boise City, where it encounters a traffic circle which contains five other highways. After the circle, US-385 splits off, and SH-3 overlaps US-287, US-56, US-64, and US-412, though US-56 and US-287 both split off within the next .
In Guymon, US-64 splits off. At Elmwood, US-270 joins US-412, coming from a concurrency with SH-23. SH-3 remains concurrent with US-270 through Watonga. In Seiling, US-183 leaves the concurrency but is quickly replaced by U.S. Highway 281. SH-33 joins the roadbed later.
In Watonga, SH-33 and SH-3 split off from US-270 and US-281. SH-3 and SH-33 remain concurrent for an additional , until Kingfisher, where SH-3 joins US-81. It will stay concurrent with US-81 for , through the town of Okarche. after Okarche, SH-3 leaves US-81. This marks the first point that SH-3 has not been part of a concurrency.
Through Oklahoma City
Beginning at the split from US-81, SH-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 (SH-74), SH-3 again re-enters a concurrency. The Lake Hefner Parkway ends very shortly after, and SH-3 becomes concurrent with I-44 through the western side of the city. Near Will Rogers World Airport, SH-3 transfers to I-240 along the southern side of the city. After I-240 ends, SH-3 is transferred onto I-40/US-270, which it remains concurrent with for .
SH-3E/3W split
In Shawnee, SH-3 splits into two highways, SH-3E and SH-3W. SH-3W splits off I-40 onto US-177, along with US-270, at milemarker 181 on I-40. 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, SH-3W leaves US-177 and veers southeast toward Ada.
SH-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 after SH-3W splits off. When it does split off, it soon joins SH-18. It follows a route closer to the center of Shawnee. After leaving Shawnee, it heads southeast toward Seminole. Here, it meets US-377/SH-99. SH-3E merges onto this highway, and they will remain concurrent until after they reach Ada.
In Ada, SH-3E and SH-3W are reunited and become SH-3 once again.
Ada to Atoka
SH-3 then becomes part of the Richardson Loop, a freeway around the west and south sides of Ada. Throughout the Richardson Loop, it overlaps SH-1 and US-377/SH-99 at different times. The highway then becomes two-lane once again and heads southeast to the town of Coalgate, where begins an concurrency with US-75, lasting through Atoka. In Atoka, US-75 splits off to join US-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. Highway 271. After reaching the town of Broken Bow, it turns southward and overlaps US-259 and US-70.
Near Idabel, the highway splits off after being with US-259 for . later, it becomes AR 32 as it crosses the state line into Arkansas.
History
The current SH-3 was designated on 15 May 1939. The original highway included all of current SH-3 up to Antlers, where it terminated at US-271. It was extended to the Arkansas state line on 4 August 1952. SH-3 ended there concurrent with US-70 and SH-7, near DeQueen, Arkansas. On 7 January 1963, the highway was given its own alignment from near Idabel to Arkansas, taking over that of SH-21, which was eliminated at that time.
From the highway's commissioning to 1976, there was only one fork of SH-3 between Shawnee and Ada, which was the path of current SH-3E. SH-3W and SH-3E were created on 4 October 1976; the new SH-3W took over all of SH-13. Other than minor realignments, the highway remains essentially the same today.