The Central Oklahoma highway was established in 1941 and gradually extended to its present extent between then and 2003.

Beyond the western terminus of the tolled spur, SH-4 turns northward as a two-lane road until it reaches SH-37, where it expands to four lanes.

[1][5] A continuation of SH-4 east to North May Avenue in Oklahoma City along Ranchwood Boulevard and NW 10th Street had been designated as a farm-to-market road four years earlier.

[11] Construction on a southward extension of SH-4 to State Highway 37 near Tuttle began in 2001[12] and was completed a year later, as was a new segment between SH-37 and the H.E.

On August 9, 2021, the Oklahoma Transportation Commission voted to approve the addition of the State Highway 4 designation to the H.E.

[14][15] The SH-21 designation was removed in 1963 and replaced with SH-4 from Smithville east to the state line near Watson.

Only minor realignments, such as the straightening of the roadway near Smithville and the replacement of a historic truss bridge by a modern span have occurred since.