Work Crews Wrap Up Yale Avenue Expansion Project; Tulsa Leaders Gather To Celebrate Opening

Leaders in Tulsa are planning a celebration for Monday to commemorate the completion of a yearslong project to expand a section of Yale Avenue in the city.

The project to expand South Yale Avenue between East 81st Street and East 91st Street began over two years ago, but this weekend, the expanded lanes were finally opened.

With drivers now able to use the busy road again, they may notice some changes from how it was originally laid out.

What was once a two-lane road has been expanded to six lanes and now includes additional features such as sidewalks, turn lanes, and protective walls on each side of the road.

The six lanes are divided by a landscaped center median with dedicated left-turn bays, and Tulsa leaders said that new six-foot-wide sidewalks have been added on both sides of the road to improve the pedestrian experience.

The entire project originally cost $31 million and was funded by the Improve Our Tulsa sales tax, which aims to finance vital improvements to Tulsa’s streets.

However, city officials said the project was completed under budget, coming in at just under $30 million, still making it one of the largest road projects in Tulsa's history.

Mayor G.T. Bynum and District 8 City Councilor Phil Lakin will gather at 8 a.m. on Monday to celebrate the opening of the street.

See a timeline below of the construction over from 2019-2024