Road work begins at Tulsa intersection where 2 teens died in crash

Major roadwork begins at Tulsa's 91st and Riverside intersection to improve safety following tragic teen deaths. Here's how traffic will be affected.

Monday, June 16th 2025, 5:27 am

By: Jonathan Polasek

TULSA, Okla. -

Crews are starting major road work at a busy south Tulsa intersection where two teenagers died in a crash earlier this year.

The intersection at 91st Street and Riverside is getting new pavement, improved drainage, and a smoother roadway surface. The City of Tulsa says the $500,000 project is designed to enhance long-term safety.

Tragic Crash Prompted Concerns

In February, a car carrying three teenagers went airborne at a dip in the road near the intersection and crashed into Joe Creek. Claire Esmond and Mollie Buffington, both Holland Hall students, died in the crash. A third teen survived but suffered serious injuries.

Tulsa Police have not released a final crash report and have not officially blamed the road dip for the accident. However, the city says the dip formed over a 66-inch storm drain.

While recent inspections found no soil instability, officials say the ongoing construction will remove the dip and smooth out the road.

What Crews Are Doing

As part of the project, workers are:

Replacing pavement
Compacting asphalt
Improving storm runoff drainage

The work is part of the Improve Our Tulsa sales tax initiative.

How It Will Affect Traffic

Construction is being completed in phases:

Phase One: Begins Monday, June 16, with outer lanes closed and traffic limited to one lane in each direction. This phase will last about two weeks.
Phase Two: Starts June 30 and will shift closures to the inside lanes.

City officials expect all work to be finished by mid-July.

Jonathan Polasek

Jonathan Polasek studied Journalism at the University of Texas and has covered the oil and gas industry as well as sports. Jonathan joined News On 6 as a multimedia journalist in August of 2022 after working in Midland and Odessa.