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Business representatives ask Owasso council to preserve 30-foot access break during Garnett Road median work
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Summary
Business owners near Garnett Road urged the Owasso City Council to keep a roughly 30-foot break in a planned median so semi-truck deliveries and emergency access are not blocked, while city staff said changes would require engineering revisions and a contractor change order that could delay the project.
Casey Preswell, speaking on behalf of Murray Adams of Custom Cabinet and Door and neighboring businesses, told the Owasso City Council the planned medians on Garnett Road will block the primary driveway used by large deliveries and requested a roughly 30-foot gap at the business entrance.
“We are asking the council to consider allowing the construction to be amended to allow for an entrance…a break in the median to allow for entrance into that business,” Preswell said, adding that Custom Cabinet and Door has been at that location about 35 years and receives frequent semi-truck deliveries.
The council asked city staff to respond. Roger Stevens, who described the median as consistent with work already constructed further south on Garnett, said the medians were designed to improve safety and traffic flow and that access points were intentionally reduced. Stevens said revisions are possible but would require drawings, coordination with the engineer and a contractor change order that could add a “couple months” of delay.
Stevens said drivers can use permitted U-turns and that larger trucks can maneuver with additional space, but acknowledged delivering trucks might have to travel farther to reach a safe turn. Preswell noted his group’s measurements and cited a recent fatality at the intersection (09/30/2025) to underscore safety concerns for deliveries and emergency access.
Councilors pressed on practical questions, including where trucks could safely turn, emergency services access and whether a 30-foot break would be feasible without undermining the project’s safety goals. Stevens cautioned that making exceptions to medians citywide could prompt many similar requests. He also said construction drawings are complete and the corridor is under active construction, which increases the administrative effort and cost of design changes.
The council did not take immediate action to alter the median design; staff described the process and potential schedule impacts if council directed a change.
What happens next: Council members indicated willingness to consider the businesses’ concerns as staff refines implementation details, but staff warned changes will require engineering revisions and a change order that could delay the wider Garnett Road project.
