Gilcrease Turnpike?

[bugo]

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=12343638

[Conan71]

Waste of Turnpike bond money.  We don't need that loop, the terminus at the north end is under-developed and served more than adequately now unless we build more casinos up that way to suck more sales tax dollars out of the city.

FAIL

[sgrizzle]

I know plenty in north and West Tulsa who disagree with you. NW Tulsa could likely be the next big boom in housing development.

[Conan71]

I know plenty in north and West Tulsa who disagree with you. NW Tulsa could likely be the next big boom in housing development.

This isn't another Turner and Henderson "'My people' are under-served" thing, is it?

If I'm reading the map correctly, the planned route is within three miles to the west of existing highways used for that commute.  Other than accidents during peak commute times, this is not a congested route with the existing roads.  But if people want it as a pay-as-you-go road, wonderful.  I suspect other Turnpikes will wind up subsidising the cost though.

[bmuscotty]

Don't we have enough turnpikes around Tulsa already?

[Hoss]

I know plenty in north and West Tulsa who disagree with you. NW Tulsa could likely be the next big boom in housing development.

Agreed.  Not sure where the Tulsa fenceline ends and the Skiatook fenceline begins though.  Like to find a good map showing that.

[SXSW]

The northwest portion of the loop is entirely within Tulsa city limits except for the interchange with 412 which is in Sand Springs.  There is already some development around Apache west of the LL Tisdale and there is a 860 acre project called Northwest Passage that includes a new school which is in the initial development phase.  Construction of the highway will surely accelerate that, as will the new school.


http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/15703876/Gilcrease-Expressway-L-L-Tisdale-Expressway-Tulsa-OK/

I imagine more housing developments will be built along it once it's complete similar to what happened with the Creek Tpke. in the 90's and the Creek South Loop this past decade.  

It's imporant for the northwest around the loop to become a small planning area so the new developments aren't just your typical suburban subdivisions.  Not many cities have the opportunity to have several square miles of basically a blank slate development-wise just outside the downtown core.  This is a great opportunity for Tulsa and if it takes a new highway to get things started, well I'm all for it.  It is clearly shown in PlaniTulsa's comprehensive plan vision:

[we vs us]

I like it.  It's a good counterweight to the continued sprawl to the south and east.  Even if the infrastructure sits there for awhile without a ton of development, at least it's there to build on in the future.

Also: some excellent views of downtown!

[SXSW]

Also: some excellent views of downtown!

Especially on the hill along Apache west of LL Tisdale and in the wooded hills just west of where the highway will be, currently 57th W. Ave.  I'm surprised there's not more houses built in the hills on the far eastside of Sand Springs and far westside of Tulsa north of the river, the views are really amazing along old Hwy. 97 and where Edison turns into Old North Rd. 

[waterboy]

The views are great. I've heard the building in those areas is challenging. More than average builders can handle. To compare the area with the Creek Turnpike development is not really so accurate either. Jenks, South Tulsa, Bixby, BA all have more upside than Sand Springs. Great views only go so far...

I was not happy to hear it would be a toll road.

[nathanm]

I was not happy to hear it would be a toll road.

It seems like it ought to be doable as a free road. I guess if you want to look at the bright side, at least it'll get done quickly as a toll road.

[YoungTulsan]

Wish it were done as a free road as has been the plan for, what, 30 years?

I also have a question about the OTA, as I haven't been around that long.  Is the OTA a private organization or part of the State government?

[Conan71]

Especially on the hill along Apache west of LL Tisdale and in the wooded hills just west of where the highway will be, currently 57th W. Ave. I'm surprised there's not more houses built in the hills on the far eastside of Sand Springs and far westside of Tulsa north of the river, the views are really amazing along old Hwy. 97 and where Edison turns into Old North Rd. 

There's a very good reason for it: Peace & quiet within 10 minutes of downtown. /snark

A friend of mine is building on property he's owned for years off of 97 just north of the neighborhood which is a right turn at the top of Old North, the engineering is taking much longer than anticipated.

[SXSW]

There's a very good reason for it: Peace & quiet within 10 minutes of downtown.

I imagine the schools have a lot to do with it.  Sand Springs district is not as good as Jenks, Union, BA.  And the TPS schools in the northwest are not good either.  Although Central HS is not bad and with its arts magnet focus and competitive athletic teams it has the potential to be similar to Booker T.  Of course you build one new elem. school for these new subdivisions and that can change quickly.  

In Denver they redeveloped the old Stapleton airport into a mixed-use community with new housing just a few miles east of downtown.  Of course the old airport was adjacent to a lower income/higher crime neighborhood and within DPS, quite possibly a worse district than TPS.  Well they built new schools in Stapleton for their residents and it's now one of the most desirable places to live in Denver, within DPS and surrounded by bad neighborhoods.  I think for the NW to really grow it needs the highway, first, and then TPS and Sand Springs need to step it up with better schools to serve the influx of new residents and compete with Jenks, BA, Bixby, and Owasso.

[Conan71]

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.