Tulsa’s Megacenter Closing Permanently Friday Night

Time is running out for people wanting to use Tulsa's megacenter to get a new driver's license or REAL ID.

The megacenter, near 71st and Lewis, closes permanently Friday night, after being open for about 5 months.

The megacenter was packed throughout the day Friday, with people wanting to renew their driver's licenses, get REAL IDs, and some their learner's permits.

"We didn't really see big, huge crowds here in Tulsa really until the last week and a half,” said Oklahoma Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sarah Stewart.

Stewart said the Tulsa megacenter met the needs of more than 50,000 Oklahomans since it opened in August.

She said the state spent $6.6 million to open the megacenter here and in Oklahoma City. However, the time has come for both to close.

"We would love to be able to keep these open longer but it takes money, it takes personnel and kinda what was earmarked was what we used and what we were able to do,” Stewart said.

"My wife saw it on the TV that today was the last day so we thought, let's jump on it,” Phillip Jenkinson said.

He and his wife, Anita, came to the megacenter Friday, from Owasso, to get their REAL IDs.

"We thought it'd still be easier to do it here than it would be to go to one of the other tag offices,” Jenkinson said.

The Jenkinsons packed their patience Friday and were ready to wait as long as needed.

"We were hoping it would be maybe an hour. Looks like it may be a little bit longer than that but it's alright. It's good,” Jenkinson said.

The megacenters helped alleviate the backlog created by the pandemic and the rollout of REAL IDs. DPS is confident in the success of the megacenters and plans to bring some employees on full-time.

People will need to go online or to a tag agency for ID needs going forward. If you renew a license online, DPS will use your old picture.