Gilcrease Turnpike?

[DTowner]

Isn't the highway needed to move the multitude of tourists who will flock to the giant barely clothed Native American statue to be built in the area?

[YoungTulsan]

I realize I'm cutting against the grain here, but I honestly can't see how having to drive a few additional miles to access the highway is preventing development now, especially at the northern and southern tapers of it.

I'm thinking the same thing.  But if there were some benefit to be had, making it a toll road diminishes it significantly.   The Creek Turnpike works because it is taking people of an affluent area (aka unhindered by tolls, mostly slapping a pikepass on the sheild and not concerning themselves with financial ramifications) to work and back to their sprawl neighborhoods.  This is going to be a road connecting West Tulsa with North Tulsa.  Who is this going to serve?  The one guy who lives at the Overlook Apts. and works at the Osage Casino?

A turnpike exit doesn't spur the kinds of retail development that a free road highway intersection does.  I'm not trying to get on and off a toll road multiple times to make impulse purchases.

Another thing neither the Creek nor this turnpike has/will accomplish(ed) is getting cars and trucks off of our clogged I-44 corridor.  The Creek just goes WAY out of the way for people to think it would save them time, and this new turnpike isn't much better as far as going WAY off course.

[swake]

I realize I'm cutting against the grain here, but I honestly can't see how having to drive a few additional miles to access the highway is preventing development now, especially at the northern and southern tapers of it.

Re-paving the main arteries out there would be a better start IMO.  I was amazed at how much the asphalt degraded over the winter, there are some serious axle breakers.  Kudos on the new pavement north on 57th west but there's lots more work to be done.

Zipping past 36th S N and Cincinnati on a highway at 70 mph with little Jack and Jill in the back seat is very different from sitting at the intersection waiting on the light to change to the average suburban Soccer mom.

[Conan71]

Zipping past 36th S N and Cincinnati on a highway at 70 mph with little Jack and Jill in the back seat is very different from sitting at the intersection waiting on the light to change to the average suburban Soccer mom.

Careful Swake, the resident TNF white apologist will start calling you a racist.

[sgrizzle]

I realize I'm cutting against the grain here, but I honestly can't see how having to drive a few additional miles to access the highway is preventing development now, especially at the northern and southern tapers of it.

Re-paving the main arteries out there would be a better start IMO.  I was amazed at how much the asphalt degraded over the winter, there are some serious axle breakers.  Kudos on the new pavement north on 57th west but there's lots more work to be done.

For my father-in-law, who lives in West Tulsa, this would cut his drive time to/from work as well as his trips to the airport (frequent traveler) in half. This would also give all the industries on Avery drive almost direct access to 412 rather than taking them east and then through a series of clunky intersections at southwest boulevard that are not designed for the level of industrial traffic they are getting.

[waterboy]

Yeah, like that's going to increase commercial/residential development around the area. Nothing like a constant parade of tractor trailers carrying petroleum products and aggregate through an area to boost its desirability. It would be better to simply upgrade the SW interchange wouldn't it?

I see some usefulness for the stretch but not enough. Apparently my view has been shared with highway powers the past few decades.

[Conan71]

For my father-in-law, who lives in West Tulsa, this would cut his drive time to/from work as well as his trips to the airport (frequent traveler) in half. This would also give all the industries on Avery drive almost direct access to 412 rather than taking them east and then through a series of clunky intersections at southwest boulevard that are not designed for the level of industrial traffic they are getting.

There's something to be said for planning ahead with infrastructure for future growth, something Tulsa has never done well.  We've always played catch up on widening and improving intersections.  Everything south of 51st St. and west of Memorial is a very good example of this.  OKC had four lane roads in the northern area before there was heavy residential and retail development.

That said, I really don't see this being a high use corridor (and that's what they said about the Creek T'Pike when it was finally starting to get moving, and it was under-utilized for some time) any time soon.  But if people are willing to do this as a pay-as-you-go road and it's not going to take away from other county and city road repairs and improvements, fine.  I hope it can self-sustain and we don't have to cannibalize tolls on other toll roads thereby putting burden on people who don't use it.

[SXSW]

I think people are underestimating the potential of northwest Tulsa.  The right developments and improvements to the schools could really make this area boom.  In any case this creates another river crossing between 244 and 97 which is needed.  The possibilities of creating a bike/jogging trail in the right-of-way like they have done with the Creek Turnpike and now the I-44 widening are interesting.

[buckeye]

I agree, that area is ready to explode with development.  The perception of freeway access influences a lot of people.  Unless there's a radical shift away from the private-commute-to-work paradigm, the freeway is needed.  Too bad they want it as a toll road.

[SXSW]

A study is underway to determine feasibility of the toll road.  While I think this is good for developing northwest Tulsa/east Sand Springs, I'm most excited about the bike/jogging trail that would be included in the right of way, similar to what they did with the Creek Turnpike.  Better access to the Botanical Gardens is also a plus.



http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=16&articleid=20101104_16_A13_OKLAHO658677

[Conan71]

SXSW, there's a far better ride out 52nd W. Ave to Skiatook Lake. 

One fun route is taking Edison/Old North up to HWY 97, go north to the entrance of Zink Ranch on Rock School Road, then back to 52nd W. and back south to Edison via Apache and 33rd W.  Lots of hills, you really feel like you accomplished something when you are done.

Did you ever go ride with the Weds. night ride group at Riverwest Festival Park this year?

[SXSW]

Did you ever go ride with the Weds. night ride group at Riverwest Festival Park this year?

No, still trying to get in better shape first.  Hopefully in the spring.

The Gilcrease trail would avoid most of the bigger hills, which would be just to the west. 

[Conan71]

The Gilcrease trail would avoid most of the bigger hills, which would be just to the west.  

But what's the point in that?  

Did you notice they have mowed the top off the hill on Apache just east of 33 west?  They've excavated large piles of dirt off it and moved the dirt west on Apache and up to the corner of 41st west and which ever road Post Oak is on.

The trail between Riverside and NSU offers some great training hills.  Riding that early in the year really improved my climbing this year.

[Weatherdemon]

A study is underway to determine feasibility of the toll road.  While I think this is good for developing northwest Tulsa/east Sand Springs, I'm most excited about the bike/jogging trail that would be included in the right of way, similar to what they did with the Creek Turnpike.  Better access to the Botanical Gardens is also a plus.



http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=16&articleid=20101104_16_A13_OKLAHO658677

What is all the work they are doing over there right now for?
I thought and it looks like they are already working on extending Gilcrease west past the Tisdale.

[YoungTulsan]

Now that I think about it, there could be a pretty fun hill to drive down at 100mph where the proposed highway goes through BerryHill.   I'd pay the 75 cents for that.  The roads there now aren't very conducive for both high speeds and remaining alive.