Letter to Editor: Widen South Yale

Robert W. McDowell, Jr.
Certified Aircraft Appraiser 841 Lynwood
Lane
Certified Golf Instructor Broken Arrow OK 74011-8608
Professional Engineer 918+451-1051; FAX: 918-451-1052
Professional Geologist Email: abdmcfpi@localnet.com

February 07, 2017

Editor: "Alternate design for South Yale
Widening"

In the middle of the last decade the City of Tulsa finally got around to widening
South Yale Avenue to 6 lanes plus left turn from 71st Street to 81st Street. This was part of
the reported master plan to widen it the same from the SH 51 (BA Expressway) to the Creek
Turnpike. At the time it was promised that the section from 81st Street to 91st Street would
be next, and soon.

The above widening took longer than planned with much inconvenience to those of us
living on either side of Yale, but we tolerated the extended inconvenience with minimal
complaints. That is until the contractor made proposals for "Change orders" to add to the
contract payment when part of the problem was his shutting down completely the work while a
buried utility correction was done on one side.

Now it has been published that the South extension is back on the planning stage,
reportedly to begin in about two years. Well, after considerable thought about the matter, I
would like to offer a suggestion in case it has not occurred to the planners. It was
considered by me to be a gross mistake when the 91st Street intersection widening was done that
it was not continued North at least to North of the final street intersection going East, at
the bottom of Signal Hill. This oversight has, sadly, been the cause of numerous crashes, some
with severe injuries, if not fatalities. That is because the two lane street winds down the
hill somewhat blindly and someone is attempting a left turn into that area, thus blocking
traffic with cars backed up the hill. It is particularly bad in snow, ice, or reduced
visibility as vehicles topping the hill going South suddenly find the road blocked and cannot
stop.

Being a 'displaced Okie' for 36 years, 34 in Colorado, I was present when I-70 was
built through the mountains by tunnels to avoid Arapaho Pass. They first built a 'pioneer
tunnel', which now is for maintenance and utilities, then one direction and opened it for
traffic, two way, while the second was built. Thus my suggestion is to split the Yale
direction roads at the beginning of the rise to the hill and tunnel each direction to the
outside of the existing two-lanes. This way traffic could continue on the existing street,
then when one three lane tunnel is finished all through traffic could be diverted to that bore
while the other one is drilled and completed.

I'm sure the hilltop residents would greatly appreciate the massive reduction in
traffic on the hill to their intersections and the ease of making left turns into and out of
their neighborhoods. And so would the heavy traffic appreciate not having to stop when a
resident or guest was attempting to turn into either direction. I would be happy to meet with
the traffic engineers to discuss this matter.

Sincerely,

Robert W. McDowell, Jr., P.E., P.G., C.G.I.

RWM/bm
(Permission to publish as letter or editorial granted)