The Chickasaw Turnpike was originally envisioned as a corridor running from Interstate 35 (I-35) near Davis to I-40 near Henryetta. Proposed by southern Oklahoma politicians, the turnpike was intended to promote economic development by connecting Ada to the Interstate Highway System. It was proposed at the same time as three other turnpikes, which would become the Kilpatrick Turnpike in Oklahoma City, the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa, and the Cherokee Turnpike, which bypassed a mountainous section of US-412 in eastern Oklahoma. Rural legislators objected to the Kilpatrick and Creek Turnpikes, and moved to block them unless the Chickasaw Turnpike was built. Urban legislators relented and allowed the Chickasaw to be built as part of a compromise, with legislation requiring that the Chickasaw be built before work on the other two turnpikes could begin. The turnpike was authorized in 1987.