Drivers in the Tulsa metro will soon have a new tool to help avoid traffic delays on area highways. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation plans to start displaying real-time traffic information in the next few months on the 18 overhead message boards along highways and interstates leading into and throughout Tulsa.
ODOT will have live tests of this display system between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. today and Tuesday. This will help fine-tune the programming and check for potential issues ahead of the full implementation. Drivers should be aware that the display times may not be accurate during the live testing.
Once implemented, the estimated travel times to the next highway interchange will display Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and also between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., which are considered peak travel times. The boards will be refreshed with new information every two minutes to help drivers see the travel conditions ahead and plan their commute.
The overhead message boards are used in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and have been primarily used to provide information on emergency alerts, such as Amber or Silver Alerts, severe weather situations or for lane closures due to accidents. These emergency alerts will take display precedence over the travel time information.
Dynamic Message Board locations in Tulsa:
- Westbound I-44 & 145th E. Ave.
- Westbound SH-51 & 129th E. Ave.
- Northbound US-169 & 71st St. South
- Westbound I-44 & 56th St. West
- Eastbound I-244 & Southwest Blvd.
- Eastbound US-412 & 41st W. Ave.
- North and southbound US-169 & Memorial Dr.
- Eastbound Turner Turnpike in Sapulpa
- North and southbound US-75 & 81st St. South
- East and westbound I-44 at Memorial Dr.
- East and westbound I-44 at Harvard Ave.
- East and westbound Will Rogers Turnpike near Catoosa
- Westbound I-244 & 33rd W. Ave.
- Southbound US-169 near 56th St. North – board is temporarily unavailable due to a construction project in the area.
