Council Looking To Break Up Street Plan

The Tulsa City council might break up a $2 billion street repair plan into smaller parts and also might re-prioritize some of the projects. The News On 6's Emory Bryan reports the change in priority might eliminate a widening project in South Tulsa in favor of several intersection improvements that might do more to reduce accidents.

And while the majority of the council still supports the big $2 billion plan, several are considering breaking it up, into three packages spread over 15 years.

At 31st and Sheridan, an intersection and street repair project ties up traffic in all directions. It's slow and expensive work, but the kind that's needed all over Tulsa.

How much of the work to do, and how much to spend on it, is up to the city council, where some worry about tying up too much money for too long.

"I'm not in favor of the 12 year plan because I think we need the flexibility to take care of future issues, which might include public safety," said Bill Christiansen of the Tulsa City Council.

One idea is to tax and spend $2 billion over 12 years. An alternative would spend $450 million over five years then come up for renewal two more times.

"Is it easier to split it up into three that people can get their arms around it, and not be talking about numbers that you normally attribute to the federal government," said Paul Zachary of Tulsa Public Works.

Right now, when the city upgrades an intersection, the job can cost over a million dollars.  The city council wants to know if some of the same public safety benefits can be achieved with projects that cost a lot less.

Studies by insurance companies found that widening roads makes traffic flow faster, but doesn't make the roads safer, so councilor want to know if some money now planned for widening might be better spent on safety.

"Even to the point of removing a widening project to focus on improving public safety, that's what they're asking for now," said Zachary.

The council has a couple of weeks to decide the priorities and the price tag.

And while the city council picks the price tag and the projects, voters decide if it's worth it. It's going to be on the same ballot as the next president, November 4th.