Oklahoma Highway 51: Broken Arrow to Tulsa – Oklahoma

Take a brisk drive through suburban Tulsa as we follow Oklahoma Highway 51 northbound from Broken Arrow into the heart of the city. This 7-mile journey traces the transition from the fringes of metro Tulsa into its urban corridor, passing key junctions and suburban arteries that reveal how the region has grown around its highways. Though short, this segment of OK-51 offers a fascinating look at how modern infrastructure adapts to suburban sprawl and evolving commuter needs.

We begin our drive on the Muskogee Turnpike as it transitions into Oklahoma Highway 51, just before the interchange where the Creek and Muskogee Turnpikes meet. Here, the tollway gives way to a free expressway that continues northwest into Broken Arrow. This stretch of OK-51 is known locally as the Broken Arrow Expressway, and while it’s no longer tolled, it remains one of the most heavily used commuter corridors in the Tulsa metro. To our sides, residential neighborhoods and light commercial zones hint at the city’s rapid growth in recent decades. Broken Arrow, once a small farming community, has become one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the state, and Highway 51 is a critical link between its quiet neighborhoods and the economic heart of Tulsa.

As we head northwest, the surroundings begin to change. Large office complexes, shopping centers, and multi-lane feeder roads emerge, marking our approach to the city proper. Soon, we reach the major interchange with US-169 where traffic often thickens as commuters converge from all directions. This interchange forms a kind of cloverleaf gateway into east Tulsa, and for those headed west into downtown, it marks the point where Highway 51 becomes a more urban freeway, joining forces with US-64. We pass beneath the elaborate flyover ramps of this junction and end our video as OK-51 merges seamlessly into US-64, bound for the inner reaches of Tulsa.

This brief but vital segment of OK-51 reveals the layered nature of Tulsa’s transportation planning—where turnpikes, expressways, and local roads all intersect in service of a growing metro region. Once primarily an agricultural region connected by two-lane blacktops, today’s east Tulsa is defined by efficient access and suburban momentum. For commuters, it’s a familiar corridor. For travelers, it’s a gateway. Either way, the road tells the story of a city on the move.