Yale Widening Project In Tulsa Reaching Final Phase Of Construction

After years of construction, the end is finally in sight for the widening of Yale between 91st and 81st in Tulsa.

In three months, the street should be opened, with six lanes instead of two and a much less treacherous hill.

People who live in the area say the improvements are worth the hassle.

Sam Rader lives a mile away from 91st and Yale. He used to work in Road Construction with his dad when he was younger and says the way the project on Yale has been handled is impressive.

"I kind of can appreciate what these guys are doing,” said Rader. “They just have one segment of the west side to finish, and I think it’s moved a long a lot faster than anticipated for me anyway."

He says this project is worth the nearly $30 million price tag because this area of Yale was a safety hazard.

"There were accidents coming over the hill and trying to turn, and in the rain, and things of that nature. It was dangerous," Radar said.

He says the inconvenience of construction is necessary to make improvements, and he doesn't mind being patient. 

Lindsey Helmerich drives through the construction twice a day to take her children to school, and her daughter Claire says she can only remember one time when a machine operator was stalling traffic.

"He was going so slow and so it backed up everybody. It took up 10 minutes longer than it would," said Claire.

Besides that, Lindsey says she’s impressed with the city of Tulsa and how quickly they’ve made the changes and how well traffic has been handled.

"Seeing the progress that they've been making, it’s been pretty a quick process, so I think we've been impressed with how they're meeting their timelines,” Lindsey said. “We're just really excited for it to be over but happy to wait to make that happen."

Tate Boys Tires and Service on Yale says construction has slowed down their business some.

"It has been a lot slower from what our other stores usually do, so I know it has been affecting past numbers and past sales," David Barton said.

Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin says weather permitting, the project on Yale is scheduled to finished by the end of June.