The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Why do we need to spend the money on a new pedestrian bridge?
Wouldn't that money be better spent going towards more low water dams?


http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/City_Hall_Report/20130714_11_A5_CUTLIN895432

I like the package overall but don't understand this piece.

Guess we should have gone to the public meetings to be ignored. Seems like idiocracy to me too.

The bridge is fine but doesn't handle the combination of serious bikers, fishermen, bowfishermen, pedestrians and runners. It was just supposed to be a pedestrian bridge. Maybe they mean converting the top level to a biking level as has been discussed on these forums.

I have gone to most of the public meetings and don't remember discussion of the particulars of this bridge being discussed. There is another public meeting Tuesday night.

Screw this entire package. Nothing in it for me.

While I wish the package included the Household Hazardous Waste Facility I was pushing, I think it has many things I like.

I am pleased that the road projects will be designed with sidewalks and bike accessibility. I like that Tulsa Parks will be re-built and new pools for each part of town. I like that the downtown library will be redesigned. I like that the phase one of the Animal shelter is included.

I don't like 600 million dollars on roads.

Until we have an alternative, do we have a choice other than to spend that money on public transit?

Get me a way to get downtown without driving and paying for parking and I may do it. Otherwise, parking at Woodland Hills, Tulsa Hills,.... is included in the price of whatever I buy there.  No nickel and dime crap to keep me away.

Why bother? Other than the arena, its wayyyyy overrated.

If they added the 2nd level to what is there I would OK with those improvements.

The first thing I envisioned was tearing down what was there and rebuilding it. Seems like a lot of waste.

As far as it not handling the existing pedestrian and bicycle traffic well, I think people are pretty respectful of each other on there but they cyclist need to remember it is named the pedestrian bridge.

I don't know how hard it would be to make the top safe but I was up there many a time as a teen and think it wouldn't take much to make it safe for whatever group they want to move up there.

As for downtown and parking, ugh. Vomit.
Downtowns of this size don't have free parking.
If you're willing to walk as far from your car to get to the BOk Center as you are from your car to a Woodland entrance, you can park for $5 at any event and have a quick and easy exit of downtown when it's over. I know, I used that lot for every event because everyone else is jamming Denver vying for the $20 and $25 dollar spots that take 45 minutes to get our of and are the same distance away from where I park for these events.

I park in the north garage for work and when going to Brady or Blue Dome. It's a tad far from the Blue Dome because all that there is for 3 blocks are the BOk Tower, the Cities ice cube, and the powerplant. It amazes me how few people seem to utilize the garage in the evenings though. All the parking you can want 1/4 bock from the Center of the Universe, 1.5 blocks from Hardesty Arts, and 2 blocks from the core of the Brady and it's well maintained.

I like the idea of a few more downtown parking garages though. It allows for development of the poorly maintained surface lots the east side has become.

The article is wrong. The money is to deck the top of the bridge so that it will be bikes on top, pedestrians where they always were. There will be some changes to the east end to accommodate this when Riverside is changed and the new park is built. They aren't tearing the old bridge out and building a new one.

I noticed a new sign on Saturday going SB at the bridge it's now posted that bow fishing is prohibited from the bridge.  That's always looked like an accident waiting to happen to me.

Would that cost 7.75 million?  About $3000 per foot.

Is that what the line item cost of the top deck on the bridge is projected to cost, or what are you referring to?

If that's the cost, I believe that's even more expensive than paving a mile of four lane roads.   :o

If that's the plan, I think it's great! 

The east side ramp to the top needs to be reconfigured, its clumsy and congests with the stairs.

Obviously with bike traffic at the top, a west side ramp will be needed to get down to the trail.

$7.75 Million has to be a typo, should almost be able to get the kayak park for that amount.

Its the caption for the pic in the World.

The list of proposed capital improvement projects approved by the City Council on Thursday would allocate $7.75 million for a new, double-deck pedestrian bridge across the Arkansas River just north of 31st Street. CHRISTOPHER SMITH / Tulsa World file

Even with approaches it seems excessive.

Because of the rerouting of Riverside, the bridge would also be extended. I believe this portion in the picture is completely new.
(http://agatheringplacefortulsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Page16-1000x772.jpg)

The trees look normal with no power lines chopping them in half and even the weeds look nice.

Why doesn't "no fishing from bridge" include "no shooting native species with a bow, pulling bloody arrows onto the walkway, and leaving the fish carcass to rot below the bridge?". I have no problem with hunting or fishing (fish a bit myself) - but I'd much rather see a carp/gar/other fish swimming under the bridge than see and smell a dead one laying on the sand bar.

The trees in that picture also look completely new.

The trees in the median are probably too close to the road edge.

Drunk targets.

Those are called Owasso Cheerleader Elms.  ;)

Aaaand....boom goes the dynamite.

Separating the bikes (on top) from the peds (on bottom) would be a big improvement.

It might take a city the size of London to accomplish this, but how cool anyway?

(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140114105706-dicaprio-bridge-style-1-horizontal-large-gallery.jpg)

I see engineering nightmare. Anytime you put earth and plants/trees on top of concrete, it becomes a nightmare.

I tend to disagree........

(http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/interstate-deck-park-looking-east-tunnel-phoenix-arizona-31388954.jpg)

As do I. There's many examples, and it's been done for decades. The right type of tree and plant materials can survive in limited soil with proper design.

Speaking of pedestrian bridges. I would LOVE to see something like this done close to downtown. Specifically connecting the either the concrete plant (if it's ever able to be redeveloped) or the city of Tulsa land south of 23rd to the eastern River Trails area. This is the 11th Street bridge that is about to start construction in Washington DC. It used to be a road, but when DCDOT built a new bridge they saved the piers to build a new pedestrian bridge/park on top.

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/910/zFY6vv.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pazFY6vvj)

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/674/5NscBv.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/iq5NscBvj)

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/674/Ggkiar.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/iqGgkiarj)

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/633/C8PEFV.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/hlC8PEFVj)

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/673/qbZ0Xi.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/ipqbZ0Xij)

(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/674/G2BnEZ.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/iqG2BnEZj)

I think it will be awhile before a new ped only bridge is proposed or built.  The current bridge will be much improved though with the separation of bikes and walkers/ joggers, and will continue to have the best views of downtown.  One possible opportunity is including a pedestrian crossing on top of the low water dam proposed in Sand Springs.  Little Rock did this with their Big Dam Bridge and it's great.  I doubt they would do one in Jenks with the existing ped bridge in that area.

The only new bridges that have been discussed or planned are ( in the order of likelihood they get built):
- Yale bridge between south Tulsa and Jenks/Bixby
- Gilcrease Expressway bridge in west Tulsa
- 41st St bridge

Klyde Warren Park in Dallas is built over the Woodall Rogers Expressway.  Very cool.  It's become famous for its food trucks, among other things.

http://www.iliveindallas.com/celebrate-the-holidays-at-klyde-warren-park