Moore residents frustrated by problem intersection

Some Moore residents tell News 4 they're frustrated with a longtime "problem intersection" in town that's causing backups and landing drivers with tickets.

MOORE, Okla. (KFOR) – Some Moore residents tell News 4 they're frustrated with a longtime "problem intersection" in town that's causing backups and landing drivers with tickets.

Residents say the intersection of Southwest 19th and Telephone Road has been a problem area for years. A combination of much-needed economic development in Moore and highway access has compounded into headaches for folks.

"Residents here, they know not to try to navigate through here between about three and seven in the evening, because the traffic is really, really busy," said resident Tommy Lawrence.

News 4 asked Lawrence what he believed the biggest area of trouble is.

"From Telephone Road here, all the way over the I-35 bridge, all the way to Broadway, and there are several traffic lights in there."

Lawrence said those lights compound the number of cars that are coming from either side of Southwest 19th because most drivers are using it to get on and off at I-35.

"Most of the time, the problems run into people will pull into an intersection and they're not able to clear the intersection because traffic," said Lawrence. "Then their light changes from green to red, and they're now blocking the intersection for opposing traffic to go through on their light."

News 4 also spoke with Christian Rodriguez, a manager at the Black Rifle Coffee Company location near Southwest 19th and Telephone Road, who echoed similar concerns with backup from customers.

"Whenever we're pretty packed, we'll definitely have people trying to get out of the street, and if it's backed up as well, it does cause a little frustration," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said he deals with his own set of frustrations as well with trying to leave work and take I-35 to get home to Norman.

"Trying to get back there, it's very hard, especially when it gets to that rush hour," said Rodriguez.

News 4 contacted the City of Moore on Tuesday to see if the problems raised were being addressed. City Manager Brooks Mitchell agreed to an interview to answer our questions.

Mitchell noted that Moore, like some other upcoming Oklahoma cities, is continuing to see growth. He said 19th and Telephone has numerous shopping opportunities that tend to attract a fair amount of traffic.

"I hear the complaints and we try to respond to them," said Mitchell. "Certain things we have done to help address those issues is 25th Street. We constructed 25th Street to loop around from Telephone to intersect with 19th and then 17th Street so you can come out on Telephone Road that way."

Mitchell said he believes those alternative routes can be utilized more to help alleviate congestion, especially by drivers who may not be from the area.

"For people that come to Moore on the weekends to shop and do things like that, I mean, they may not be as aware."

Mitchell also acknowledged traffic data shared by the Moore Police Department (MPD) with News 4.

In 2023, MPD said it had 1,925 violations at the intersection of SW19th and Telephone that resulted in a citation or warning. MPD said officers often initiate a traffic stop at that intersection only to stop the driver and take the report/violation in proximity. As such, it will be listed under a different address.

Other data from MPD is listed as follows:

• From Jan. 1– Feb. 28, 2023: 127 violations (62 citations & 65 warnings).
• From Jan. 1– Feb. 29, 2024: 592 violations (230 citations & 362 warnings).
• Reported accidents in 2023: 4.
• Reported accidents in 2024: 10 (MPD said accident numbers do not include accidents where the reporting party handled the situation themselves without officer involvement).

"I was a little surprised by that," said Mitchell when asked about citation numbers. "But, you know, we want we want people to drive responsibly and, you know, drive safely. We don't want to see any accidents."

Mitchell said voters have also approved a general bond obligation that should help alleviate more stress over the next few years. Voters approved the obligation with 56% of voters for it and 43% against it. The City of Moore took on a $49,390,000 debt to provide funds to construct, reconstruct, improve and repair city streets and bridges.

$10,910,000 of that bond will go towards resurfacing Telephone Road from 19th to 34th Streets. That project will include a number of improvements ranging from repairs to sidewalks, utility line replacements and evening widening Telephone from four to five lanes between that stretch.

"The design is still being worked on," said Mitchell. "There is some degree of right of way that we will need to purchase and there will also be utility relocations that will also need to be done. So, you know, we're probably three years away from being able to begin construction on that."

In the meantime, Mitchell said he's confident residents and visitors can find ways around traffic pains.

"In my almost eight years of city manager, we've had numerous construction projects going on throughout the city," said Mitchell. "The city staff have always appreciated the patience that the majority of our residents really have. I mean, they know that. They know it takes time. They know things come up. There are frustrations, they exhibit patience because they know we want a good product in the end."