DPS Opens 1st Megacenter To Speed Up ID Renewal Process

For many Oklahomans, renewing their driver's license has been a frustrating process. The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety opened what they call a "megacenter" Monday.  

Hundreds lined up for OKC's first megacenter, which officials hope will speed up the process. People first started arriving at the megacenter around 4:30 a.m.

"I rushed down here as soon as my mom sent the picture," said Kelli Rodgers, a resident.

Rodgers has been waiting for quite some time to renew her license.  She's visited three different tag agencies over the last several months.

"If you're not there by 5'o clock in the morning, it's completely impossible to get a space or an appointment to get your ID," said Rodgers.

Appointments at DPS facilities are booked at most locations for the next 60 days. Officials with the department said part of the delay is due to a backlog of online license renewals.

"That set us back," said Sarah Stewart, with DPS. "There were some budget cuts. We weren't able to replace some drivers license examiners, as well as just implementing the Real ID system."

DPS officials said they hope the megacenter can help reduce the backlogs and speed up the process.

It's located near Northeast 10th Street and Lincoln Boulevard, formerly the Oklahoma State Department of Health. 

Monday at 5 p.m. DPS officials said the megacenter had reached capacity for the day. They are unable to assist any additional customers.

DPS would like to remind Oklahomans that this location will be open through December 10. Wait times on the first day were up to 6 hours but we expect that to drastically reduce the longer the megacenter is in operation. We ask people to be patient and bring water when visiting the megacenter. Complete details on the megacenters can be found at realid.ok.gov.

The megacenter will be open for walk-ins Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.