Tulsa Residents Say Construction 'Detour' Makes Their Neighborhood Unsafe

Road work at 61st and Memorial is not only frustrating for drivers, but it also has homeowners in one nearby neighborhood saying their streets aren't safe anymore.

Members of the Burning Tree Homeowners Association are upset. They met with city leaders Saturday afternoon to talk about the stream of traffic running through their neighborhood.

"I have to back into my driveway in order to back out of it every day,” Valentina LaPorte said.

Homeowners say the area has been a pass through for years since it is so close to the Woodland Hills Mall.

But since the construction project began at the intersection of 61st and Memorial, the number of people driving through the neighborhood has grown. Residents also say they've noticed more crime.

Tulsa City Councilor Anna America represents the district and helped set up the meeting with homeowners.

“So we had people out here today from traffic engineering, from the engineering group that's involved with the construction, with the police department, to say how can we all work together to minimize this impact on this neighborhood and hopefully address these problems both short term and long term,” America said.

However, some of the suggested solutions had home owners divided. They argued over what should be done to keep their neighborhood safe. 

America says, as of now, the city will put in some temporary fixes like traffic signs and have an increased police presence while they continue to work on a long-term solution.

“So it's going to be multi-faceted, and some of those we need to go back and have our staff do some research and get back to these neighborhoods and let them know what the options are,” America said.

They are options that homeowners like Valentina anxiously are awaiting

“I moved into this community for the sheer fact that I want to feel safe,” she said.