TULSA, Okla. — After being shut down for four months, two lanes will reopen on South Yale between 81st and 91st today.
The City of Tulsa's construction manager tells 2 News that crews are aiming to remove the barriers before noon. Public Service of Oklahoma is finishing up work on their power lines and once that is complete, the roads will reopen.
The ultimate goal of this $29 million project is to make this dangerous stretch safer. The plan includes widening it from two lanes to six lanes, as well as flattening the road and making it straighter. It's the most expensive street project in the city's history.
When the roadblocks come down later, drivers will see that the road is still the same as before — just two lanes, one in each direction.
What's new is a 35-foot tall retaining wall. That is a big reason for the closure. Elliot Stiles, the city's construction manager, says crews had to place a crane on the main road to hoist pieces into place for the wall.
Now crews are continuing to work on moving sewer and water lines, as well as moving utilities. It's something Stiles says they have run into some unexpected issues with.
“We are working through a few little utility issues that have popped up that we just need to get those addressed with the utility owners but generally we are still moving forward generally on schedule the hope is that we will be opening up in the fall of 2023," Stiles says.
So far, Stiles says this project hasn't been impacted by supply chain issues unlike other projects around the city.
Stiles says they don't anticipate having to completely shut down any part of Yale for the rest of the project. However, he says there's always a possibility of unforeseen circumstances that could cause delays.
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