(PROJECT) Boulder Bridge

[carltonplace]

They were putting on railings and working on the Archer end when I went by on Sunday.

[BKDotCom]

They were putting on railings and working on the Archer end when I went by on Sunday.

That, plus tying in with Archer / redoing the archer intersection
I think they're doing one section of railing per day or something slower.

[DTowner]

Projected opening is January 15.

Boulder Avenue bridge slated to open Jan. 15

By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 12/20/2012  1:55 AM
Last Modified: 12/20/2012  7:42 AM


Downtown Tulsa's long-awaited Boulder Avenue bridge is expected to be open to traffic in less than a month - Jan. 15.

"We're going to have at least two of the lanes open as we're putting on the finishing touches," said Terry Ball, field engineering manager for the Engineering Services Department.

City leaders have touted the new structure as a vital connection between downtown's core and the burgeoning Brady District right across the railroad tracks.

The 290-foot bridge from First to Archer streets is nearly an $11 million endeavor, with the demolition of the old bridge and the design of the new one funded through the 2006 third-penny program and the construction paid for through the 2008 Fix Our Streets initiative.

The bridge was tentatively supposed to open in October but was delayed by the art that will be installed.

Students and teachers from Tulsa Technology Center have created artwork that represents Tulsa's history and culture for the fence screening that will line the sides of the structure.

Construction on the project by Becco Contractors has spanned a full year, beginning last January.

"It's been a long time coming, but I think people are going to be surprised at how nice it looks," Ball said.

Work was supposed to start in September 2011 but was delayed because of a steel shortage.

The bridge has consumed more than 1.5 million pounds of steel.

Once opened, the new structure's four lanes will accommodate northbound and southbound traffic, making Boulder Avenue two-way north of First Street.

South of First street, Boulder Avenue will remain one-way headed north, so southbound traffic that crosses the bridge will have to turn west onto First.

The bridge will feature extra-wide sidewalks on both sides, plus rails and decorative lighting.

Eventual landscaping will include Boston ivy, holly and roses at the bridge's ends.

The intersections where the bridge connects are also seeing improvements.

The original Boulder Avenue bridge, which dated to the 1930s, was closed to vehicle traffic in 1998 because of deterioration and to pedestrians in 2008 after inspectors found it to be unstable.

The inspection was prompted by calls from pedestrians who reported hearing noises and feeling movement while on the bridge, which was a main thoroughfare for people walking from parking lots to their workplaces.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=689&articleid=20121220_11_A11_CUTLIN270116

[carltonplace]

Artwork is installed.

Still need traffic stripes, sidewalk work and removal of the old traffic signals at Archer.

Open.

Any.

Day.

Now.

.

.

[TheTed]

I think you meant any year now.

[RecycleMichael]

Boulder Avenue bridge opening ceremony with Mayor Bartlett at 2 p.m. on Feb. 4

[sgrizzle]

[DTowner]

Artwork is installed.

Still need traffic stripes, sidewalk work and removal of the old traffic signals at Archer.

Open.

Any.

Day.

Now.

.

.

That all sounds very complicated - I can see why it will take another month.

[PonderInc]

Boulder Avenue bridge opening ceremony with Mayor Bartlett at 2 p.m. on Feb. 4.

Trivia - who was mayor when this got torn down?

[Red Arrow]

Boulder Avenue bridge opening ceremony with Mayor Bartlett at 2 p.m. on Feb. 4.

Trivia - who was mayor when this got torn down?

Kathy Taylor / 2009 but it was closed to traffic long before that and even pedestrians for a while.

http://www.newson6.com/story/15027698/tulsas-downtown-boulder-bridge-to-be-rebuilt

[sauerkraut]

This sounds good.

[PonderInc]

I actually meant to ask who was mayor when it was closed to traffic.  It's been so long I can't remember, but I'm guessing Susan Savage.  (I know that it was closed soon after they resurfaced the asphalt...which always struck me as funny.)   I used to walk across it every day for years...until it was finally closed to pedestrians.

I'm thinking it was closed to traffic in the late 90's?  (Geez.  Is that possible?)  And closed to pedestrians sometime between 2002 and 2005. 

That's my guess, without a google search.

[DTowner]

According to today's T.World, cold weather is delaying traffic stripes - still hoping Feb. 1 for opening.  Really?  Just put some orange cones down the middle of the bidge and let people start using this thing.

[TheTed]

The 'temps must be in the 50s' seems like a pre-made excuse. It's been basically done for months.

It was above 50 for a high six straight days last week. But as soon as the cold spell hits they pull out the excuse.

Also, this turning streets from one-way to two-way in this super slow fashion is ridiculous. Drivers can't handle one-way streets. They really can't handle streets that turn from two-way to one-way, like Boulder when the bridge opens. They turned one block of main into a two-way street a while back but left the rest of the one-way portion as is.

And this is coming from someone who had his car totalled recently buy a dumbass going the wrong way on the one-way portion of Main.

[carltonplace]

Everything is done now except for the no parking signs.