All lanes on Signal Hill now open

The City of Tulsa first broke ground on the Signal Hill project back in November of 2021, and finally, the widening of Yale Avenue between 81st and 91st streets is complete.

The official opening and celebration happens this upcoming Monday, but District 8 City Councilor Phil Lakin sent out the word this afternoon that, since the road was ready, they decided to go ahead and open all lanes of traffic today.

Lakin and Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting celebration and opening at 8:00 a.m. Monday morning.

Traffic has been allowed to continue using the road during the nearly three-year-long construction process, but it was reduced to just one lane each way, and there was a lot of heavy construction equipment moving around in the area, so it of course created frequent slowdowns for drivers.

The widening project expands the formerly two-lane road to six lanes between 81st and 91st streets and also adds dedicated left-turn bays, six-foot wide sidewalks on both sides of Yale, and a landscaped center median.

The reconstruction also improves safety by reducing the grades on the hill and making the curves less severe.

It’s the single largest road project in Tulsa history, city officials say.

And it’s a solid road, they say, with 9-inch thick concrete.