Icy Tulsa Streets Provide Challenges For City, Drivers

Most drivers made it where they were going without too many problems, but not drivers with hills in their neighborhood. 

Monday, February 16th 2015, 7:08 pm

By: Emory Bryan

Icy Tulsa Streets Provide Challenges For City, Drivers

The roads in Tulsa improved a lot during the day after several inches of snow and sleet overnight - some of that came from plowing; some of it from the sunshine melting the snow.

So while roads are OK now, concerns are for later Monday night.

Most drivers made it where they were going without too many problems, but not drivers with hills in their neighborhood. It was a downhill drive, whether or not they wanted it to be.

Some people just gave up - and left their car on the road.

A few, like one man trying to get back to his apartment, were lucky enough to get some extra help.

He burned some rubber - but he made it to the top.

"Pretty crazy - I thought he was going to pop a tire, man," a passerby said.

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Other drivers weren't as fortunate.

Tulsa Police and the Highway Patrol reported dozens of minor accidents like one on Highway 244 at Lewis.

The driver spun out on the slick highway, hit a second car and the median wall.

No one was hurt.

"It's been busy, a lot of drivers, just out of control," said Peter Broderick, Select Towing.

The City of Tulsa had drivers and snow plows ready six hours before the storm - but when the sleet started falling it was during a shift change - so they had some catching up to do.

Trucks were out all night trying to break up the ice and plow the snow - and they spent most of the day just on arterial streets.

The city prioritizes roads around hospitals, those with more traffic, and main roads in hilly areas. They got a break in the clouds that started quickly melting the ice around the middle of the day.

"This shift will be in here until midnight, and I'm pretty confident we'll have it all under control by then," said Tim McCorkell, City of Tulsa

The improving weather also helped start the melting on driveways that made the shoveling a little easier. For drivers - the challenge will be later - overnight - when all this melting snow and ice - starts to freeze over again.