Tulsa road crews continue to monitor conditions, treat streets

As winter weather continues to impact the area, road crews in Tulsa are working around the clock to treat and clear the streets. Street maintenance manager Tim McCorkell provided an update on the efforts to ensure road safety across the metro area.

“We’ve teamed up our plows together, running about three in the team to try and get the roadways plowed,” McCorkell said. “So we’ve had the teams running since about midnight. There’s still quite a bit to plow yet, but the roads are pretty passable, and hills aren’t too bad yet.”

Despite the ongoing snow, McCorkell emphasized that hills remain a concern. "Some of them will get a little icy," he said. "We'll be out salting them, but some of the issues we have are really with contractors clearing parking lots and pushing snow out into the roadways. We’re having to come back and get that plowed out."

Another significant concern McCorkell pointed out is drivers passing plows while they're working. "We still have cars that are trying to pass the plows as they’re doing their job, and they just need to understand that could cause a real accident and do a lot of damage to your vehicle if you get hit by one of the plows."

The public should also be cautious around emergency vehicles. McCorkell reminded residents that plows are considered emergency vehicles, especially when operating with flashing lights. "If something should happen, it would be the driver’s fault for the incident happening," he said.

While plows continue their work, McCorkell confirmed that road treatment will follow as the snow is cleared. “Right now, we’re just focusing on getting the snow plowed off,” he explained. "As we get it removed from the hills, we’ll start treating them again."

Areas like 61st and Sheridan and 71st and Yale are particularly affected, with crews focusing on the more hilly sections. McCorkell noted that much of the city’s streets are already passable but emphasized that the work is far from over.

“We still have a lot of lane miles to plow, but the streets seem to be very passable at this time,” he said.

As Tulsa road crews continue their efforts, McCorkell urges drivers to remain patient and cautious while navigating the winter weather.