61st, Yale Intersection Construction Project To Impact Tulsa Drivers

People who drive through a busy intersection in Tulsa should expect delays for the next several months.

Traffic is down to one lane at 61st Street and Yale for a new road construction project.

A manager of a restaurant in the area said he's concerned people will avoid the area during the construction and that will mean a loss of business during an already tough time.

He said they've seen a drop in business each time the city has done projects in the area, and he hopes they don't have to cut off power or water during this project. 

"If they do it at a timely manner overnight, but a lot of times it could happen in the middle of the afternoon when you’re at your busiest point and then a lot of times you’ll have to turn everything off. So we really hope they will pay attention to that. With the hospital being so close we know that’s an urgency for them is to get this under control and do what they have to do," said Matthew Miller. 

Miller said he hopes people will still find a way to support businesses in the area.

This is a joint road project with ODOT and it includes replacements of waterlines, concrete pavement, and traffic signals. 

Ryan McKaskle is the city Field Engineering Manager and said waterline breaks caused some issues during past projects at the intersection. 

“We did have a joint panel repair west of here that was scheduled for two years ago and we also had a couple waterline breaks in the intersection. The waterline breaks were on our 36 inch arterial line that took precedence," said McKaskle.

McKaskle said if crews need to cut off water to the area, they will give business owners 48 hours' notice.

He said the construction should be finished by the summer.