Columbus, OH to Oklahoma City: North or South?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
jymbee

jymbee

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 20, 2018
Posts
3,503
Location
Upstate NY
North route uses 70 out of OH to St. Louis then 44 to OK
South route uses 71 out of OH to Cincinnati, Louisville, then 65 to Nashville and finally 40 Memphis and on to OK

We've taken the Southern route as far as Memphis a few times headed for Texas, but never been on that North route. Doesn't appear to be a huge time difference between the two but more interested in decent roads to travel than time-- if possible.

 

Attachments

  • oh2ok.jpg
    oh2ok.jpg
    254.9 KB · Views: 9
It has been a number of years since I drove either one, but my gut feeling is the northern route is better overall
 
Northern route is shorter and about the same traffic wise.  I do always find it that you have to watch closely after you cross the river in St Louis to get the exit to I44.  It comes pretty quick.
 
Why would you go as far as Nashville on 65? Just below Louisvlle is a town called Elizabethtown.
Take what used to be the western Kentucky Parkway almost to Memphis..Great road with not much traffic. The road has been redesignated an interstate highway
 
The I-44 section in Oklahoma is a tollway. We have taken it as a good road with limited traffic though, and I would do so again. Easy drive. You can pick up a free transponder at the first rest area in Oklahoma, deposit some money in your ?Pike Pass? account, and get reduced fees plus you don?t have to stop at toll booths. The Kilpatrick turnpike that starts at the north edge of OKC is also well worth the money if it is going near where you are going. I have family in OKC, and we do the toll roads regularly with and without the motorhome.
 
I wonder when I-44 was changed to toll? When we lived in Albuquerque we drove that route every couple of years, or so, and it wasn't a toll road back then. Thanks for the transponder tip, though that's no longer a common route for us.
 
darsben said:
Why would you go as far as Nashville on 65?
Click to expand...

Why? Well, because the almighty Google routing brain did not offer that as a possibility! But hey, obviously there's much more routing intelligence in forum members here.  :))

Thanks for the insight. Will definitely consider that option.
 
UTTransplant said:
You can pick up a free transponder at the first rest area in Oklahoma, deposit some money in your ?Pike Pass? account, and get reduced fees plus you don?t have to stop at toll booths.
Click to expand...

Gotta' love those transponders! Just too bad all states can't get together and accept one standard across the country. We have NY's EZPass which is accepted in a number of states, but not FL so we have Florida's pass as well.

The few times I thought I'd save a few bucks and avoid a toll road-- around Dallas for example-- and take local roads I soon regretted it.

Appreciate the tip!
 
jymbee said:
North route uses 70 out of OH to St. Louis then 44 to OK
South route uses 71 out of OH to Cincinnati, Louisville, then 65 to Nashville and finally 40 Memphis and on to OK

We've taken the Southern route as far as Memphis a few times headed for Texas, but never been on that North route. Doesn't appear to be a huge time difference between the two but more interested in decent roads to travel than time-- if possible.
Click to expand...

I prefer, and recommend the southern route. I-70 is pretty bad between Columbus and Indy. And Indy is one of the worst metro areas to get around, these days.

When you get across the river at Memphis, Take US 64 to Conway Arkansas. It by-passes I-40 to and through Little Rock, and is a much calmer drive.


 
LarsMac said:
I prefer, and recommend the southern route. I-70 is pretty bad between Columbus and Indy. And Indy is one of the worst metro areas to get around, these days.

When you get across the river at Memphis, Take US 64 to Conway Arkansas. It by-passes I-40 to and through Little Rock, and is a much calmer drive.
Click to expand...

re. "calmer drive". That works for me-- thanks!  :))
 
For a number of reasons I had to do 3 trips to Chicago (from Dayton) last month. If you leave mid afternoon I70 was not a problem heading west. Long lines headed east. The eastbound has about 50 miles of one lane traffic. West bound is predominantly 2 lanes.

I also did the southern route via Louisville. Right in Louisville (about 8 weeks ago) they are rebuilding some fly overs/freeway merges.

All in all I would do I71-I64 and aim to give rush our in Louisville a wide berth.  I travel to Louisville about 2X a month for business - regardless of your choice - definitely check google maps on the day and look for wrecks - it seems like once a month there is a tractor trailer flipped upside down on one of the interstates...

Now from R44 west there are some really cool things to see. Get a Route 66 guide and if you have time stop at some of the sights. Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum in Warwick, OK (just east of Ok city is a pretty cool 30-60 minute stop.
 
It looks like the south route on I-465 around Indy has been cleared up. For some time, that was closed for various construction projects.
If you do take I-70, you can skirt Indy around south by-pass, now.

Then I-44 is a decent drive. It is toll road through much of OK.
Tulsa can get surprisingly messy at rush hour, too.


 
I40 is one of the main truck routes in the US. Not fun with an RV.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,108 (members: 25, guests: 1,083)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,933
Posts
1,387,742
Members
137,684
Latest member
kstoybox
Back
Top Bottom