Tulsa to Convert 4th Street to Two-Way Traffic

The $3.2 million project along 4th Street is expected to be completed in April, part of a broader downtown traffic conversion effort.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Construction

Tulsa to Convert 4th Street to Two-Way Traffic

The City of Tulsa is converting part of 4th Street from one-way to two-way traffic as part of a $3.2 million pavement and waterline project. Construction began about seven months ago and stretches from Cincinnati Avenue to Lansing Avenue.

Why it matters

The conversion aims to make downtown more pedestrian-friendly and economically vibrant rather than only improving vehicle flow. Two-way streets can make downtown easier to navigate for residents and visitors.

The 4th Street project carries a $3.2 million price tag and has reduced a normally four-lane stretch to two lanes in some areas during construction. The final lane layout and whether completion will stay on the expected April schedule have not been detailed.

The players

City of Tulsa

The municipal government of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is funding and carrying out the 4th Street conversion and pavement and waterline project.

PlaniTulsa

A long-range city planning initiative that in 2010 called for downtown Tulsa streets to be returned to two-way traffic.

The details

The project includes new pavement and waterlines along the 4th Street corridor from Cincinnati Avenue to Lansing Avenue. Portions of 4th Street east of Detroit Avenue, along with 5th Street and Boulder Avenue, have already been converted to two-way traffic.

Late 1950s: the city converted many downtown streets to one-way traffic.
2010: the PlaniTulsa initiative called for downtown streets to return to two-way traffic.
2017 and 2018: the city funded a study identifying downtown streets for conversion.
About seven months before publication: construction on 4th Street began.
April 2027: the 4th Street project is expected to be completed.

Seasonal Patterns

The 4th Street project reverses part of the one-way downtown system Tulsa adopted in the late 1950s, following the 2010 PlaniTulsa call to restore two-way traffic. The 2017 and 2018 city-funded study extended that effort by identifying additional downtown streets for conversion.

Drivers using downtown Tulsa should expect lane reductions along 4th Street while construction continues. Two-way traffic may mean fewer trips around the block to reach a destination once the project is complete.

The takeaway

Downtown Tulsa is moving back toward two-way streets, a shift that may make navigating the core easier for people on foot and in cars. Residents planning trips downtown can expect detours and lane changes until the April completion.