Oklahoma Highway Named In Toby Keith’s Honor
A new Norman-area connector turnpike will be called the Toby Keith Expressway in recognition of the country music legend.
Soon drivers in Oklahoma will be cruising on Toby Keith Expressway. A new connector turnpike in the Norman area has been named in honor of Toby Keith, the late country music legend and Oklahoma native.
Last Thursday, the Oklahoma State Senate passed House Concurrent Resolution 1019, officially naming the new highway in Keith’s honor, The Oklahoman reports. The resolution had previously passed in the House of Representatives and does not need to be signed by the governor to become law.
“Beyond his musical accomplishments, Toby Keith was a proud and vocal patriot who dedicated significant time and resources to supporting members of the United States Armed Forces with no financial benefit to himself, performing more than 300 shows on multiple USO tours in combat zones and uplifting American service members stationed overseas,” the statute reads.
The 28-mile east-west turnpike will extend from I-44 in Newcastle eastward to I-35 in Norman near Indian Hills Road. It’s part of the state’s Access Oklahoma program, short for Advancing and Connecting Communities and Economies Safely Statewide. Construction on the $3 billion project is set to begin soon, with completion estimated by 2033.
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Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, a supporter of the legislation honoring Keith, called him the state’s greatest country singer. “He was a near constant figure on the sidelines of University of Oklahoma football games,” Standridge said. She added, “Toby Keith sang about loving his country and he lived it day in and day out.”
Members of Keith’s family will be honored at the monthly meeting of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Board of Directors at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation headquarters in the state Capitol complex.
Keith died in 2024 at age 62 after a battle with cancer. His storied career—marked by hits like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “Red Solo Cup,” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” and more than 40 million albums sold worldwide—earned him entry into the Country Music Hall of Fame among other honors.
