TULSA -- Homeowners near 81st and Elwood said the recent development encroaching on their homes is putting them in danger.
With a new school, apartment complex and the Tulsa Hills shopping center to name a few, some residents said Elwood Avenue can't handle all the traffic.
One of the drivers' main issues is the size of the road, which they said is two lanes and narrow. Neighbors said they’ve taken their concerns to the City, but feel ignored. Now homeowners are saying they feel is if their neighborhood is being neglected.
“Everything is a mess,” Frieda Young, a homeowner said. “We can't get in and out of our neighborhoods.”
For years, the residents near 81st and Elwood ave. enjoyed their properties. Describe as quaint homes, tucked away from the hum and buzz of the city. Until now.
“(There’s) congestion and no infrastructure put in for the things that have happened,” Jake Campbell, a concerned homeowner said.
Today's reality near Elwood? Major development.
From shopping centers, apartment complexes, an athletic center, and even a school, Elwood ave. isn't what it used to be. And residents said the area can't handle the influx of traffic.
“That's adding several more hundreds of units and traffic on a two lane road,” Young said.
J.R. Watson, another concerned resident agrees.
“Elwood has gotten so bad I avoid the intersection over at 96th and Elwood,” Watson said.
But the main fear is safety, a worry that those who travel in the congestion will get in wrecks, and those who bike along the street could be killed along the narrow path.
“What if an ambulance needed to get to my house and the traffic was backed up?” Young said. “They couldn't come into my house.”
Homeowners said they are begging the City to do something about the problem.
“I think the City needs to seriously look into making Elwood a four lane street and maybe adding some lights in dangerous areas where there needs to be lights,” Young said.
2 Works for You brought the concern to the City of Tulsa, which said expanding the road is on the list, however the funding just isn't available at this time. When the future funding package is available, city officials said they can look at widening Elwood.
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