121st And Yale To Become 3-Way Stop Following Deadly Crash

An area in Tulsa where a teen died in a crash recently will soon have two new stop signs installed, making the intersection an all-way stop. 

15-year-old Kinsey Wright was killed near 121st and Yale, and a petition was started calling for the city to make changes at the intersection. 

Nearly 7,000 people signed the petition, and the city says a traffic study agrees with their concerns that the intersection needs to be made safer.

Starting November 14th, traffic at the intersection will move slower than it does now.

That’s because the city says the T-intersection will become a 3-way stop.

There is currently only one stop sign for drivers turning from Yale onto 121st, but even in front of a police officer, drivers roll right through it.

Last month, 15-year-old Kinsey Wright was killed after investigators say Jacob Tucker rolled through the same stop sign and hit the car Wright was riding in.

“I just don't think someone should have to lose a life for this kind of a change to happen,” Diane Davies said. 

Davies is a family friend of Wright’s and started a petition that received thousands of signatures calling for the city to make the intersection a 3-way stop.

“I was very happy that it was going to have a change quickly and not take a lot of red tape,” Davies said. 

She says she knows adding stop signs doesn’t mean people aren’t going to run them.

“But if you run a stop sign and the other people are stopped, you’re less likely to get the kind of accident that involved Kinsey,” Davies added. 

There are large electronic road signs along 121st to notify drivers of the new stop signs coming November 14th. 

“Hopefully, this won't create any accidents while people are learning it, but just stop and look before you go,” Davies said. 

The city also says it plans to add turning lanes and traffic lights in the future. 

Full release from the city:

East 121st Street, South Yale Avenue Intersection to Change to All-Way Stop Starting Nov. 14  

(Tulsa, OK) – The intersection of East 121st Street and South Yale Avenue will change to an all-way stop starting Nov. 14, weather permitting.  

Drivers will need to allow a little more time to pass through the intersection.  

The change comes after the intersection met Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) warrants for a traffic control device. An all-way stop will be in place until funds are identified for the design and construction of a new intersection that includes turn lanes and new traffic signals.  

While there is not yet a timeline or an identified funding source for the signals and turn lanes, City officials are working on a total cost estimate for the project.