OK-9 Past, Present, Future
Little Axe residents probably think they know their small section of Oklahoma State Highway 9 pretty well. After all, it does run smack through the middle of the community and provides access to the majority of local businesses. And on Sooner football home game mornings, it is common knowledge that only a desperate person attempts a left hand turn to go west.
OK-9 has taken many detours on its way to becoming Oklahoma’s second-longest state highway (behind State Highway 3), running from the Texas panhandle to Arkansas.
When first designated on Aug. 24, 1924, SH-9 didn’t come close to Little Axe, or even Norman. This 1924 state highway map shows the original route completely bypassing Norman with a straight north-south shot between Blanchard and Oklahoma City.
It wasn’t until 1935 that the State Dept. of Transportation extended SH-9 eastward from Blanchard, replacing SH-37 to Seminole. 
This must have pleased folks in Little Axe, for SH-37 was nothing to brag about. Oklahoma’s state highway map showed SH-37 with some gravel near Norman, but quickly turning to “Earth, Maintained, but not Standard Grade”, which was one step below “Graded & Drained Earth”
By 1937, SH-9 through Little Axe was bustling, carrying an average 331 vehicles per day.
When the Little River Reservoir project was approved in 1961, SH-9 had to be re-routed from what is now Alameda Street to its current location.
Soon after the dam was completed, 1500 cars per day were traveling the new Hwy 9 through Little Axe. Last year that number had increased to 6100. Also, the stretch west from Little Axe to Norman has earned a reputation:
East of U.S. 77 OK 9 becomes a two-lane highway. This area is infamous for several fatal accidents in recent years because of speeders, so be aware of this area.
The future of Oklahoma Highway 9
ODOT has considered widening SH-9 to four lanes in Little Axe for some time. In fact, a public meeting was held in October 2004 to discuss the widening between 84th Ave. SE and Hwy 177 in Tecumseh. That project is not in ODOT’s 8 year plan.
What is in ODOT’s short-term plans is widening Hwy 9 from 24th Ave SE to 48th Ave SE. The project calls for four lanes and a raised center median with turn lanes at section roads. It also includes 10 foot shoulders.
The next phase would take the widening to 72nd Ave. Nobody’s willing to speculate when Highway 9 will be four lanes at 180th Ave SE, the east boundary of Norman city limits. Perhaps 2035?
ODOT’s Long Range Transportation Plan
The 2035 Long Range Plan, formally known as the 2010 – 2035 Statewide Intermodal Transportation Plan (SITP), is a guide to develop the state’s transportation system to promote better mobility in and around Oklahoma communities for the next 20 years.
