TULSA, Okla. — From one side of town to the other, potholes are an all-too-common nightmare for drivers on Tulsa streets this week, often ruining commutes, errands, and date nights.
“There’s so much in Tulsa that we love, like great restaurants and bars, but sometimes the roads aren’t great,” Jackie DuPont told 2 News Oklahoma.
“I’ve held my breath many times driving down, whether I’ve got to go through it or if I have to swerve a little bit if nobody’s next to me. So yeah, that’s definitely a safety concern,” Jackie's husband Michael said.
“Is this city gonna reimburse me for the money that I spent on my tires or what? I need to know what’s going on,” another driver said while stopped at an intersection.
The City of Tulsa says it’s well aware of the conditions, made worse by the melting winter weather.
“It’s not isolated to one area, but definitely on some of those streets that haven’t had (maintenance) or a capital project done on them recently," city spokesperson Carson Colvin said. "We are seeing them just spread out over town.”
According to Tulsa Public Works, 374 work orders were put in for potholes, but workers actually filled more than 9,200 just since January 23. The department said during freezing conditions, some crews worked 12-hour shifts.
“I was falling into the trap of thinking, ‘You know what? Street projects, that’s just the way they are in Tulsa.’ And that should not be just the way they are,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said of potholes and road work during his February 2 announcement that he was restructuring entire city departments to improve functions.
In the meantime, the public can also help report problems too.
“Report it to 311," Colvin said. "You can call 311. You can email tulsa311@cityoftulsa.org.
Just let us know the location, where it’s at, and we normally try to get crews out there within about 72 hours, if not sooner.”
Tulsa currently has 15 ongoing street projects city-wide, including widening and neighborhood projects. Several more are in planning stages, Colvin said.
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