TULSA, Okla. — While it may still seem months away, Tulsa city officials are already preparing for the inevitable cold snap ahead.
City leaders gathered Thursday to outline their comprehensive winter weather strategy, highlighting significant improvements to both road maintenance and homeless services.
"We know the winter weather is not far off," said Mayor Monroe Nichols. "We are not only prepared this year as we always are to make sure that our infrastructure is going to be in a good spot, but this year we are even more prepared."
Tim McCorkell, who has been leading Tulsa's street operations for 25 years, detailed the city's enhanced preparation efforts. The city currently has about 9,000 tons of salt on hand and 66 truck-mounted spreaders, with 53 of those trucks equipped with snow plows.
This year brings a new addition to Tulsa's winter arsenal: calcium chloride.
"The brine will work down to about 15 degrees, adding the 32% calcium chloride can get us down to about -15, -17 right in there," said McCorkell. "So we're looking at that as gonna be a big help because we do a lot of the brine work on the bridges, hills, overpasses, all our elevated surfaces."
Perhaps the most significant development is the opening of Tulsa's first 24/7 winter-dedicated shelter, which begins operations Nov. 17.
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The facility will initially accommodate 50-60 people, with plans to expand to up to 250 beds during extreme weather situations to help get people off the streets.
Mayor Nichols expressed pride in meeting the November deadline for the shelter opening.
"It's a lifesaver, I mean it's critically important," he said. "Last year, not long after I took office, temperatures got down to -11 if I'm not mistaken, somewhere way down there which is obviously way past life threatening, and we had to scramble. There's 1,400 people who needed a place to stay."
He mentioned the Rose Bowl, which opened up as an emergency shelter through the coldest days of the year, but won't be an option for those in need this year. It was important, he said, to make sure there was something in place before the weather turned and people's lives are in danger.
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"I'll also say, what I learned last year, is it's not just people who are unhoused who rely on those things when it's cold, it's some folks who can not afford to warm the house that they live in," said Nichols.
The winter preparation effort extends beyond McCorkell's road maintenance team. Parks, stormwater and traffic departments all contribute to the comprehensive response.
McCorkell said it takes about 210 employees around the clock to get to every roadway and make sure the entire city is winterized.
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