JENKS, Okla. — On August 13, Jenks students return to school. Right now, 91st Street in front of East Elementary and Intermediate isn't packed with parents in the pickup line. It's full of construction vehicles.
"Over the summer, this whole area behind me has been closed to through traffic," Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin said.
Lakin tells 2 News the top priority for the project was to be ready for the school year.
"The problem for parents is that their only choice if this isn't open is to go really four miles out of their way, mostly on two-lane roads," Lakin said.
"We understand given the size of our district and being on the west side of the river and the east side of the river, there are construction projects all the time," Rob Loeber with Jenks Public Schools added.
Lakin and Loeber say they heard the concerns and delivered some good news before the start of school.
"We'll have one lane open in each direction, so parents can go all the way through from Yale to Harvard, Harvard to Yale," Lakin said. "Whichever direction they need to go."
Before that, 91st Street will remain closed, including for meet the teacher. If parents need to get the elementary school, you have to come from the west. If it's the intermediate school, you have to come from the east.
And when school does start, the district knows it'll be slow going, just like any other first day.
"There's always congestion. So, we want people to exercise patience, and a little kindness goes a long way when you're behind the wheel," Loeber said.
Loeber added bus routes and times won't change -- and that buses will get priority around construction.
Lakin says once construction finishes, there will be a fully connected sidewalk from Yale to Harvard on the north side of 91st. Loeber added bus routes and times won't change and that buses will get priority around construction.
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