Editing Interstate 44 (section)

==History==
I-44 was originally signed in 1958 as an Interstate designation of the [[Turner Turnpike]] linking Oklahoma City and Tulsa and the [[Will Rogers Turnpike]] linking Tulsa and the Missouri state line southwest of [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]], along with the US&nbsp;66 bypass in Tulsa that linked that city with the two turnpikes and the continued four-lane highway from the Missouri border to an interchange with US&nbsp;71 south of Joplin previously designated as US&nbsp;166.

As US&nbsp;66 was being bypassed by I-44, the [[Route 66 Association]] requested the designation '''Interstate&nbsp;66''' for I-44 from [[St. Louis]] to Oklahoma City; The [[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] (AASHTO) rejected the request.<ref>{{cite book |last = McNichol |first = Dan |title = The Roads that Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System |location = New York |publisher = Sterling |year = 2006 }}{{page needed|date=May 2020}}</ref>

At the time the I-44 designation was assigned in Oklahoma in the 1950s, Oklahoma signed the milemarkers west to east starting at Turner Turnpike's Oklahoma City terminus at the I-44/I-35 interchange (near [[Edmond, Oklahoma|Edmond]]). I-44 was extended in 1982 southwest of Oklahoma City along the existing [[H. E. Bailey Turnpike]], thus raising the milemarkers by about 100. The addition of the new section was unusual in that it is a more north–south segment and did not directly connect to the previous western end at I-35. It now extends south of I-40, an exception to the Interstate numbering rules and its end point does not connect to another Interstate Highway.

What was once [[Interstate 244 (Missouri)|I-244]] around St. Louis is currently part of that city's [[Interstate 270 (Missouri–Illinois)|I-270]]/[[Interstate 255|I-255]] beltway.

During the historic [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak]], an F5 [[tornado]] crossed I-44. This particular tornado had the fastest tornado wind speeds on record. The interstate was severely damaged where the tornado crossed it. In the end, this tornado was blamed for 36 deaths.

A section of I-44 was moved slightly north between [[Powellville, Missouri|Powellville]] and [[Doolittle, Missouri]]. The old road is highly visible for eastbound traffic near Powellville. {{As of|2006|04}}, the rocks carved away for the new roadbed have virtually no [[lichen]], reflecting that this construction occurred rather recently.<ref>{{google maps |url = https://maps.google.com/maps?q=powellville+MO&ll=37.936278,-91.952047&spn=0.026536,0.066261&t=h |title = Aerial photo |access-date = October 4, 2014 }}</ref>

Originally, the eastern terminus of I-44 was at the intersection with I-55, I-64, I-70, and US&nbsp;40, by the Poplar Street Bridge. However, when I-70 was rerouted to cross the Mississippi River at the newly constructed [[Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge]], I-44 was extended about {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} north to end at I-70 at the bridge.