Traffic Circle at 11th and Elgin

[Townsend]

I heard a brief story about that intersection getting a new traffic circle and artwork.

I'm having a tough time finding information about it.  Anyone have a rendering?

Work starts today if I heard correctly.

[Teatownclown]

Bartlett Square 2....

[carltonplace]

I heard a brief story about that intersection getting a new traffic circle and artwork.

I'm having a tough time finding information about it.  Anyone have a rendering?

Work starts today if I heard correctly.

I remember a traffic circle in Pat Fox's Gunboat Square Master Plan from a few years ago: http://tulsagrad.ou.edu/studio/gunboat/gunboatcomposite.pdf

[SXSW]

I believe this is being funded by the TIF in that part of downtown.  I've heard it will include a fountain and landscaping.  That is an awkward intersection so this should be an improvement.  The streetscape projects in the Pearl along Peoria should be starting soon as well.

[dsjeffries]

I read about the traffic circle in the Gunboat TIF... Was wondering when construction was going to start. I live right there, so I'm really looking forward to an improved intersection!

BTW, just south of this intersection where Elgin turns into 11th and curves toward Detroit, there's a street sign that says you're at the corner of 11th and CARSON. How in the world Carson got all the way over there is beyond me. I'll post a pic later.

[Teatownclown]

Aren't they called "roundabouts?" That area of downtown can use some upgrade. There needs to be a Wally World in the area to the south of the intersection.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/safety/roundabouts/
do not stop in the roundabout!
keep in the loop!

[TheArtist]

  Kewl, I had worked for a bit with one of the people involved with the project.  We were looking at lighting and color choices.  At the time they were thinking about putting in some street lights that would be very contemporary or with a deco inspired feel.  We had looked at some very interesting street lights and I was pushing for some colors that would have pulled out the bright deco "terracotta, blue and green" tile work found on the Warehouse Market building.  Unfortunately I was super busy at the time and never got back with them on that.  I hope they still went somewhat in that direction versus just black or green.  The multicolored approach would have imo greatly enhanced a wonderful asset we already had and would have made that entrance into downtown more fun and lively, like you were some place special.  

But there did seem to be some possible hang ups which could deter our ideas.  One, there is apparently some rule or regulation that the lights in some areas have to have bolts which allow the light to fall down if the light is hit and a lot of the lighting choices did not have the exact feature that was required, (or would have required a bit more effort or money to make it that way, heaven forbid you do something outside the exact specifications or regulations regardless of if its good enough for other cities), or they had to be up on a cement pylon which again may not have been allowed in that area due to traffic. Don't remember all the details but it was frustrating. The rules seemed a bit inflexible, didn't allow for much variation, and too hard to offer any "creative" or different solutions.  It was this way, this is all we know, and thats that.  Also the colors may not have worked in case parts had to be replaced.  Custom colors were not much different up front and buying a large number, but in the future if you wanted one part... then it might cost ya.  So yet another reason to go to same ol same ol blah.    

I hope we get something unique, lively and different,,, BUT the rules reward conformity and sameness, not the exceptional. I wish I had had more time to stick around and help push for the really neat lights but just couldn't do it at that particular time. I hope the guy I was working with managed to get us something special there for I think he and others really did want it to be something different.  Oh, and we were looking at the glare preventing, energy efficient, cut off type lights.  We will see how that effort went too lol.

[dsjeffries]

If they can do interesting street lights in other parts of town (11th between Delaware & Harvard, for example) I'm sure it's allowed downtown. And just about anything would be an improvement over acorn lights that currently cover most of downtown (but thankfully not at Gunboat).

[Townsend]

I believe this is being funded by the TIF in that part of downtown.  I've heard it will include a fountain and landscaping.  That is an awkward intersection so this should be an improvement.  The streetscape projects in the Pearl along Peoria should be starting soon as well.

Driving down Peoria they were shutting off the right Northbound lane from about 12th to well North of 11th.  Will the streetscaping come that far South?

[DTowner]

Interesting intersection on which to try a traffic circle given the odd angles of the streets and the elevation change.  With the work on the BA Expressway bridges at Utica, I've been using 11 St. a lot more lately and this intersection is really in poor condition. 

[sgrizzle]

This is part of a "downtown gateways" project involving money from several sources.

With 11th & Elgin and 6th & Peoria I often see people who can't figure out the interesection so a traffic circle may actually be an improvement.

[patric]

rule or regulation that the lights in some areas have to have bolts which allow the light to fall down if the light is hit

Breakaway Luminaire standards have advantages, and disadvantages

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/policy_guide/road_hardware/qa_bsls.cfm

but thankfully, the notorious Acorn lights dont meet most of thise standards.  In many impacts, the heavy glass globe crashes through the windshield, killing or severely injuring occupants.

[dsjeffries]

This is part of a "downtown gateways" project involving money from several sources.

With 11th & Elgin and 6th & Peoria I often see people who can't figure out the interesection so a traffic circle may actually be an improvement.

Any way to see proposed renderings or plans? Guessing GKFF or TCF have some involvement in this... Is that right?

[ZYX]

Any way to see proposed renderings or plans? Guessing GKFF or TCF have some involvement in this... Is that right?

I also really want to see renderings. So is the Pearl streetscaping starting right now too, or will that be longer? And then I wonder when the canal will start??

[patric]

Construction will begin during the week of March 21 on a street improvement and waterline replacement project that includes three intersections: East 11th Street and South Peoria Avenue, East Sixth Street and South Peoria Avenue, and East 10th Street and South Elgin Avenue. The contractor will begin the project working at 11th Street and Peoria Avenue.

Construction at 11th and Peoria and at Sixth and Peoria will include street rehabilitation - removing old pavement, making repairs under the surface, and then placing new pavement for street surface. Pedestrian traffic signals will be improved at 11th Street and Peoria Avenue and traffic signals will be replaced at Sixth Street and Peoria Avenue.

Improvements at 10th Street and Elgin Avenue include construction of the first modern roundabout in the city of Tulsa. A roundabout is larger than a traffic circle, such as at Fifth and Main streets; but smaller than a rotary, such as at Admiral Place and Mingo Road. Artwork is planned for the center island of the roundabout.

This three-intersection project includes burying some utility lines and installation of many streetscape features:

• Decorative sidewalks and crosswalks
• LED street lighting
• Cast-iron bollards
• Bike racks and benches at Sixth and Peoria
• On-street parking on Peoria Avenue between Sixth Street and 11th Street
• Centennial Clock at Centennial Park near Sixth Street and Peoria Avenue


As exciting as energy-efficient LED lights are, they went with a very blue color for the lights, with a color temperature around 4500K.  That's a shame, because the manufacturer (Beacon) as well as almost all others offer lighting colors much closer to incandescent light.
I dont believe that was a consideration in the initial stages, but once they have a couple of them up they will see what a difference color makes as far as perceptions of safety and "invitingness" go.

Good news is that more "warm white" LED go on the market every week, with colors that are almost indistinguishable from good old fashioned incandescent light:

March 15, 2011...Osram Opto Semiconductors reports that it has set a new laboratory record of 142 lumens-per-watt the efficiency of a warm white LED light source. The LED with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 2755 K achieves a color rendering index (CRI) of 81..
According to the company, the peak value of 142 lm/W was measured under standard conditions. It was achieved at a color perception that the company says very closely matches that of a classic incandescent lamp.