Since late April the state has been repairing three bridge decks along the Broken Arrow Expressway. They finished two decks earlier this summer and are down to one that creates traffic back up on the eastbound side between Harvard and Sheridan.
Starting at Harvard signs are posted telling drivers to merge into the far right lane yet the middle lane remains open until about half a mile to the Sheridan exit. Once you get to the 31st and Yale exit another sign states “State Law- Merge.” By this time most drivers are already waiting in the long right lane, but hundreds of drivers drive wall the way up to that point where there is no more room for two lanes. This upsets drivers who have waited patiently for sometimes, up to twenty minutes.
“What goes through my mind I wish I was in a vehicle to block both lanes, like a big truck or something, and force them to abide,” said driver, Jason Feathers.
It is not only dangerous for drivers but also for the ODOT crews working to repair the bridge deck.
“I don't know why they think they are entitled to get in front of somebody else,” said Patrick O’Brien, who is another driver who always waits patiently in the right lane and then gets cut in front of by aggressive drivers.
If you wanted to bypass the frustration and potential road wrecks you can take another route. If you’re coming from downtown Tulsa just drive onto the BA and then exit at Harvard and head to 31st street go left until you reach Sheridan and then make a right to get back onto the BA and keep going East.
It takes twenty minutes to take the BA from Harvard to Sheridan and only ten minutes along the 31st route during rush hour.
Tulsa Police patrol the BA Expressway but because the merge law is a state law, they would have to arrest a driver for breaking the merge law and then have a trooper or a deputy charge him or her. If a trooper pulls you over for breaking that law then the fine is $211.50.
