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.
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