(PROJECT) Boulder Bridge

[custosnox]

Double dumbass on him then.

[Hoss]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of that scene.  I'm surprised Grizz didn't check in before us.

[Townsend]

We are the nerd herd.

[sgrizzle]

I caught the reference but failed in posting the video.

[custosnox]

I caught the reference but failed in posting the video.

I didn't get as far as the video.  I figured just the image would suffice

[BKDotCom]

   

    I assume there's going to be support columns between the tracks?
   

It looks like those are constructed already. Anyone want to walk across it with me when the steel spans are dropped in place?

Actually, it appears they're going the "we don't need no stinking center peer" route.
Can anyone think of a larger span between peers around these parts?
6 more huge beams delivered today.

[nathanm]

Can anyone think of a larger span between peers around these parts?

I thought titles of nobility were unconstitutional.

[sgrizzle]

It looks like those are constructed already. Anyone want to walk across it with me when the steel spans are dropped in place?


Actually, it appears they're going the "we don't need no stinking center peer" route.
Can anyone think of a larger span between peers around these parts?
6 more huge beams delivered today.

I saw a center support of some kind when I drove by.

[carltonplace]

New columns and column caps have been installed on both sides of the railroad tracks. The beams will be laid accross the caps. See Fig A


Fig A:

[BKDotCom]

The were moving a beam into position at noon today.
Not sure if they finished

[Weatherdemon]

The were moving a beam into position at noon today.
Not sure if they finished

Looks like the 1st set of beams on the north side are up.

[DTowner]

Bridge to open by September 28.

Downtown Tulsa's new Boulder Avenue bridge will be ready for vehicles and pedestrians by the end of September.

"This is going to be a vital connection," said Paul Zachary, Engineering Services Department director, noting the BOK Center, Performing Arts Center, City Hall and businesses in 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 structure and design of the new one funded through the 2006 third-penny program and the construction paid for through the 2008 Fix Our Streets initiative.

Work on the project began Jan. 3. It was supposed to start in September 2011 but was delayed because of a steel shortage.

Steel deliveries began in April - 971,480 pounds for the beams and 546,330 pounds of reinforcement for the concrete - keeping Becco Contractors busy with installation through this month.

The bridge will be open to the public no later than Sept. 28, Zachary said.

"It's been a long time coming," he said.

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.

The new structure will have four lanes to 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, fencing and decorative lighting.

Art students from Tulsa Technology Center have designed artwork that represents Tulsa's history and culture for the fence screening.

The bridge will be big enough for a future trolley system.

The intersections where it connects are also seeing improvements.

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

The $452 million Fix Our Streets effort has allocated a total of $28 million to replace six of the city's 267 bridges.

The Boulder Avenue bridge's $7.3 million allocation from the streets package is the most expensive.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=334&articleid=20120626_11_A9_CUTLIN312063

[jacobi]

Big enough for a future trolley system, eh? I knew that I had heard something about the bridges rail compatibility.  Get excited!

[TheTed]

Anybody know if Sept. 28 (or earlier) is still the plan? Progress has seemed to be slow (at least from my completely untrained eye) the past few weeks. And they're definitely not burning the midnight oil to make the deadline.

[swake]

Big enough for a future trolley system, eh? I knew that I had heard something about the bridges rail compatibility.  Get excited!

So soon we will have bridges built for rail transit over the river and over the tracks downtown. Maybe a plan is coming together that a better Vision2 package could fund.