Timing Changes for 71st and Memorial...

[Rowdy]

I'm curious how this will work out...

Changes Coming To Ease Traffic Flow Near 71st & Memorial

Tulsa - Some dangerous intersections could get a lot worse. A new Wal-Mart is set to open this month on Memorial. And, that means more traffic on the busy street between 61st and 71st Street, an area that's already jammed. NewsChannel 8's Elizabeth Kinney looks at the problem and what drivers think about even more traffic.

The drivers we spoke to say this area is already tough for driving. Then, we told them the new Wal-Mart could bring eight-thousand extra cars a day along the road.

"I think that would be a problem. Yeah."

"Well, it's busy. It's always busy.

The intersection at 71st and Memorial was already named one of the top ten worst intersections in America five years ago.

"If it gets worse, it's really going to get bad, especially at Christmastime, definitely."

But, some relief for drivers may come soon. The city is working on a plan to move traffic along.

"We're putting in a coordinated traffic system," says Kurt Kraft with Tulsa Traffic Operations. "We're building timing plans for those periods and make the traffic flow the best it possibly can."

Some of the lights may be ready by Thanksgiving -- just in time for Christmas shopping.

"I would say just leave a few minutes earlier just try to be patient. Try to plan out your destination if you know you're going to certain stores and know what route you'll take."

In the meantime, watch the traffic signals. Because you never know who is watching.

"A lot of times, we'll do special traffic enforcement," says Greg McGowan. "Put an unmarked vehicle at the intersection and call out people running red lights."

They have even installed lights on the back of intersections so police can see when the light turns red from the other side. Police say if you see someone running the red light, you can help, too.

"We don't know all the problems," McGowan says. "Especially down in some of the neighborhoods. If people have problems, people running stop signs, lights, either call the mayor's action line or call the uniformed division in the area they live in."

Police on Tulsa's east side wrote 18-hundred traffic citations just last month. They will be stepping up patrols with the increased traffic from Wal-Mart and holiday shoppers.

It costs 10-thousand dollars per intersection for the new timed light system. Part of that money came from a State Farm Insurance grant. It was donated after Tulsa had two of the worst intersections in America.