Tulsa's Tragic Collisions, Housing Audits Delayed, Route 66 Centennial Plans, and Addiction Recovery Funding

Good morning, this is Tulsa Local Pulse for Friday, December twelfth. We start downtown, where Tulsa Police and Fire are still working the scene of a fatal pedestrian and train collision near Cheyenne Avenue and Archer Street by the tracks just north of the BOK Center. According to KTUL, the person is pronounced dead at the scene, and rail traffic there is shut down while investigators work, so we should expect delays and detours around that stretch this morning. On our roads, we are also feeling the impact of construction. Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports a Tulsa driver died after going around barricades on Highway 75 just north of 56th Street North, where a bridge is torn out in a construction zone. Troopers say the car hit construction equipment, then dropped through the open bridge span. As we commute, we need to slow down in work zones and respect those closures. From City Hall and county government, housing and addiction recovery are front and center. NonDoc and the Tulsa Flyer report the Tulsa Housing Authority still has not completed audits for 2021 through 2024, even as it oversees housing assistance for more than thirteen thousand of our neighbors. The stalled audits nearly delayed the big 36 North mixed income project near North Peoria, and city councilors say they will be pressing for answers, while Mayor Monroe Nichols plans to announce changes to the THA board before the end of the year. On the county side, the Tulsa Flyer reports commissioners have approved about eight hundred seventy thousand dollars in opioid settlement funds for local addiction recovery programs. Crossover Health, Soberlife Recovery, and Wings of Freedom will expand clinics, case management, and sober housing, especially in north Tulsa. That should mean more help for families dealing with addiction. We also have some lighter news along Route 66. Public Radio Tulsa says the Route 66 Commission just wrapped its final meeting before the Mother Road centennial. Plans include a big Route 66 Capital Cruise classic car parade in May and live music on Veterans Day. The city has a state grant to build a musical road on Southwest Boulevard by the Cyrus Avery Memorial Bridge, where our tires will literally play a tune if we hit the speed just right. Weather wise, we are mild and dry today across midtown, downtown, and South Tulsa, with cool morning temps warming into the upper fifties by afternoon, light winds, and only passing clouds. Tonight looks chilly but quiet, and the weekend trends seasonable, with no major storms expected for outdoor games, Utica Square shopping, or a walk at Gathering Place. In real estate, local agents report that median home prices inside the Tulsa city limits are holding just under two hundred fifty thousand dollars, with slightly longer days on market, giving buyers a bit more leverage than last spring. On the jobs front, postings around the metro remain strong in health care, logistics, and energy, with several hundred op This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.