BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Tulsa County leaders are preparing to begin a $12 million flood prevention project at 101st Street and Garnett in Broken Arrow, an area residents say has flooded for years.
County officials confirmed that $8 million of the project is already secured through a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant. The remaining $4 million will come from state funding and Tulsa County taxpayers.
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For Broken Arrow resident Heather Masterson, the flooding has been more than an inconvenience.
“We were headed to church, and we had to turn back around because it was flooded,” Masterson said.
She said she has seen drivers ignore warning cones at the intersection.
“I’ve seen people going around the cones … And then they had to turn back around because it was pretty severe,” Masterson said.
Tulsa County Commissioner Kelly Dunkerley said concerns like those have been raised for years.
“We know that there have been a lot of people who have asked about it for years,” Dunkerley said.
To address the problem, the county plans to raise the intersection by approximately five feet to help prevent water from overtaking the roadway during heavy rains.
Dunkerley said the rest of the funding effort comes from state leaders and Tulsa County taxpayers.
“Many different people helped out to make this happen, so we’re happy we can work together and make something happen that the people are going to need,” Dunkerley said.
After work is completed at 101st and Garnett, crews will move north to 91st Street to widen the road and add a turn lane.
Masterson said she believes the improvements are long overdue.
“I think it’s needed anything that’s going to improve our streets, our community,” she said.
Construction on the intersection is expected to begin in the spring. Dunkerley said the area could be closed for approximately nine months while crews complete the work.
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