Construction work at 21st and Harvard has slowed traffic to the fair, but the city says two things led to this.
Chris Gimmel, a city engineer and the project’s construction manager, tells KRMG that two things caused the slowdown — one was planned, and one was not.
First, a construction project started in March but was set to be complete before the Tulsa State Fair. It was a 330-day project that was way ahead of schedule.
“(Crews) are finishing up the final paving. They’ve got some striping and signs, and then that project will be complete. So, they are finishing that one way ahead of schedule,” Gimmel said.
However, a water line break just west of the project shut down the eastbound lanes. The water line has been repaired, and crews are trying to open one eastbound lane at Harvard.
“That was just a standard water line break. It was not expected. That was not a planned construction,” Gimmel said.
One westbound lane is currently open, and they hope to finish the street project before the end of the fair.
