Night-time road work to close some city street lanes
BY MOLLY BULLOCK World Staff Writer
Saturday, June 23, 2012
6/23/12 at 7:52 AM
Starting Sunday, street maintenance will cause night-time closures of two out of four lanes on Harvard Avenue, 61st Street and Sheridan Road.
The preventive maintenance, called microsurfacing, will add an overlay to give better traction and seal cracks in the pavement. The asphalt machine used in the project will not create much noise and will not disturb residents, city spokeswoman Lara Weber said. The contractor responsible for the project will complete it at night because there will be less traffic, she said.
Night-time work near neighborhoods is less common because it costs more and can disturb residents, Weber said. Unlike contractor crews, city road crews generally don't work at night except during emergencies.
The city of Tulsa handles city streets, and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation maintains state and interstate highways. Some overlap occurs when state highways also serve as main thoroughfares in a city.
ODOT decisions about when to perform road maintenance and repairs depend partly on the severity of the need, ODOT spokeswoman Brenda Perry said.
"We could have a surface repair that just can't wait, and that's when you will see work happen at all hours, even if it's in the middle of rush-hour traffic," she said.
For example, holes so big they could damage cars or otherwise pose a danger must be dealt with immediately.
The requirements differ between highways and city streets because of the speeds vehicles travel, Perry said.
ODOT addresses less-urgent cases, such as holes that are just starting to form, outside of rush hour when possible.
Although construction and maintenance decisions have already been made by the time residents call in with complaints about delays, phone calls about missing or confusing signs or debris blocking the road can be "extremely helpful" to ODOT, Perry said.
Similarly, Weber encouraged Tulsa motorists to report potholes by calling 918-596-2100.
"We do respond to those calls very quickly," she said. "It really works to call in a pothole. It gets fixed."
For more information on street improvements, go online to tulsaworld.com/fixourstreets
City road closures*
Where: Harvard Avenue between 31st and 41st streets
When: 8 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday
Where: 61st Street between Sheridan Road and Memorial Drive
When: 8 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday
Where: Sheridan Road between 71st and 81st streets
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday and 8 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday
*Only some lanes will be closed. Through traffic still will be permitted.
Molly Bullock 918-581-8321
molly.bullock@tulsaworld.com
