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Tulsa staff outline measures, agree to consider removing medians on Mohawk Boulevard
Summary
Public Works told the council it has added LED lighting, trimmed trees, installed rumble strips and posted truck restrictions on Mohawk Boulevard, and officials said they can remove raised medians and replace them with painted markings as part of a funded repaving project.
Tulsa public-works staff presented a progress update and a set of options for Mohawk Boulevard on Monday after residents raised safety concerns about a stretch of the corridor between Peoria and Lewis avenues.
Public Works said it has trimmed trees, added LED lighting, installed rumble strips and posted “no trucks over two axles” signs to redirect heavy commercial traffic to 30th Street North (Highway 11). The department also reported a measured 75% reduction in vehicle counts on the one-mile segment compared with counts from 2017.
Why it matters: Residents reported multiple incidents in which vehicles struck concrete medians and went airborne. Councilors and staff discussed short- and longer-term measures to reduce crashes, improve visibility and preserve neighborhood safety.
What Public Works told council: the department showed photos and said the medians required repainting, so crews added reflective devices and painted the concrete to improve visibility. Officials installed new LED poles closer to the road to brighten the corridor and planned a resurfacing project through the city’s current capital program (IoT 2). The city said contractor BECO will repave Mohawk from Peoria to Lewis in the upcoming project.
Residents and councilors urged removal of the raised curb medians where drivers are reportedly hitting them at night. Public Works said the medians can be converted from raised curb islands to painted medians as part of the repaving contract; staff asked for direction from council and the neighborhood on whether to make that change early in the construction schedule.
Rumble strips and speed: staff showed two sets of rumble strips approaching the low-speed section and said the features are intended to vibrate steering wheels and alert drivers rather than act as speed humps. Several councilors asked whether more intrusive traffic calming was possible; staff warned that standard speed humps cannot be used on a collector road such as Mohawk and that lowering the posted limit below 30 mph would provide little benefit on that corridor.
Enforcement and other steps: staff said TPD has conducted enforcement in the area and that the city has sent letters to nearby businesses asking to keep heavy trucks off the corridor. Public Works also noted that signal upgrades at Peoria and Mohawk are already funded and that signal poles have been ordered.
Next steps: the department will schedule the repaving work and was asked to prioritize median removal and to brief the district councilor and neighborhood on the construction timeline. If the council and neighborhood request removal of the raised medians, staff said it can be added to the contract for the upcoming repaving work.
