I-44 Will Rogers Turnpike is an abandoned toll road in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Will Rogers Turnpike opened to traffic on June 28, 1957. It was designated as I-44 in 1958. It is named for Will Rogers “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son”. The 1.5 mile / 2.4 kilometer stretch was abandoned after I-44 was rerouted further east to meet up with the new Creek Turnpike back in 2002.
Hundreds of cars used to drive over the portion of the Old Will Rogers Turnpike before it was closed. The abandoned road was used as a training ground for the Highway Patrol, among other law enforcement agencies. In 2014, the turnpike authority tried to sell the highway as one long piece of land, but was unsuccessful and had to take it off the market. With the toll road no longer used, the overpass was demolished and Pine Street lowered to grade level.
