It connects northbound to U.S. Highway 77 (US-77) to suburban Edmond and southbound at I-44 on to I-35 and the I-40 Crosstown Expressway near downtown Oklahoma City.
I-235's route, which is concurrent with US-77 along its entire length, forms the eastern edge of Automobile Alley, the Deep Deuce residential neighborhood, and the Bricktown Entertainment District, all of which are in the eastern section of downtown Oklahoma City.
The I-235 designation was approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on July 13, 1976.
Beginning in the mid-1990s, a massive Capital Improvement Project program was started to widen and reconstruct US-77 between Edmond on the Broadway Extension and the North 36th Street exit on I-235.
The project included widening to six or eight lanes, reconfiguring several interchanges, and installing a new BNSF Railway bridge over I-235.