Driver Takes Out Signal Box Near U.S. 75 At SW Boulevard

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Anyone planning to drive through the intersection of 7th Street and Southwest Boulevard in Tulsa may want to choose another route Wednesday night and Thursday morning after a traffic signal controller was demolished.

A car struck the traffic signal controller Wednesday afternoon. City of Tulsa workers are looking for replacement equipment to repair the controller and restore traffic controls.  In the meantime they've placed temporary stop signs in the intersection.

The young driver told News On 6 that he was northbound on Southwest Boulevard and fell asleep.  He said he'd been awake since 3 a.m. because of his job. 

He said he awoke just an instant before impact.  He suffered only minor injuries, thanks to his seat belt and the car's airbag.

When asked if police had given him a ticket, he said: "Two of them. Fat ones."

The intersection is located near the off- and on-ramps of U.S. 75 on the west leg of the inner dispersal loop.