I-35 Interchange Designated to Honor Late Chickasaw Ambassador

Native News Online

By Chickasaw Nation Media

September 22, 2025

A portion of a major interstate highway will soon honor the late Neal McCaleb, a Chickasaw ambassador who dedicated his career to improving transportation infrastructure in the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma and the United States.The interchange of Interstate 35 and East 33rd Street in Edmond, Oklahoma, will be designated as the “Ambassador Neal McCaleb Memorial Interchange” this fall.

McCaleb, Chickasaw Nation Ambassador At-Large to the United States, was also posthumously honored with the Transportation Revenues Used Strictly for Transportation (TRUST) Guardian of Transportation award in 2025. TRUST is a legislative advocacy coalition dedicated to funding and restoring Oklahoma’s surface transportation infrastructure.

McCaleb, who died Jan. 7, spent 19 years serving as president of TRUST and was posthumously presented the TRUST Guardian of Transportation award at the Jan. 28 Transportation Innovation Forum in Oklahoma City. He is the ninth recipient of this award.McCaleb lived in Edmond, was a civil engineer and spent years in the private sector as an acclaimed highway and bridge designer before spending decades in roles appointed by three U.S. presidents and two Oklahoma governors. McCaleb served as Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs and was a powerful advocate for First American tribal sovereignty and economic opportunities.

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