New Elementary School Causes Headache For Owasso Traffic

A lot of people are complaining about a busy intersection in Owasso.

Traffic backups near 106th and 129th have gotten so bad, police now are looking into the situation.

We saw it for ourselves on Thursday afternoon -- cars lined up all the way down the block.

Drivers say it sometimes can take up to 20 minutes to get through a four-way stop.

If it's 3:15 p.m.on a school day, you can bet traffic will look like a nightmare around Rejoice Christian Elementary School in Owasso.

Those who live near the intersection say traffic has always been busy here, especially with a new Walmart opening just north of the intersection.

But they say it's been worse, much worse, since Rejoice Christian Elementary School opened its doors on Monday.

Parents waiting to pick up their kids spill out onto the street, and because it's one lane each direction, that means everyone else has to wait, too.

"You could sit for several minutes, 10, 15 minutes, trying to get from the back of the traffic to the stop sign,” resident Aaron Adams said.

The Owasso Police Department has gotten so many complaints about the congestion, it now has patrol supervisors watching the traffic patterns for possible solutions.

The school is trying to do its part, too.

"We have people out identifying what child is with what car as far out as we can come out to the road here,” Superintendent Craig Shaw said. “We radio that into the school so the kids are ready at the door as they drive around."

He says the afternoon congestion will clear up once the campus opens an alternate entrance on 106th Street.

But in the meantime...

"It's really irritating to have to sit and wait and wait and wait at a four-way stop,” resident Charles Knight said.

We noticed the school congestion doesn't last too long, only about half an hour.

We're told traffic is even worse during rush hour.

Owasso police said they're looking into all possible solutions.