Tulsa Transit may split an estimated $250,000 repair bill with Eastgate Metroplex for damage its buses have caused to pavement there.
A system redesign led Tulsa Transit to establish at Eastgate last fall a "sub hub" where three fixed routes converge. The two parties’ agreement does not require Tulsa Transit to pay pavement repair costs, but General Manager Ted Rieck said things will only get busier there when the Route 66 bus rapid transit line launches, so it’s in Tulsa Transit’s best interest to keep a good working relationship.
"With the Aero, we’ll have another bus route, and the amount of service operating Aero will double from what it is today. So, by 2024, Eastgate’s going to be the place to be, at least for us," Rieck told the Tulsa Transit board at a meeting last week.
Tulsa Transit’s Route 66 bus rapid transit line will have a terminus at Eastgate. It could launch next year.
Eastgate management proposed a cheaper fix to the pavement damage that Rieck had city engineers look over.
"We kind of quickly concluded that the solution offered by Eastgate would not last very long at all. Whatever money we invest, I want it to last awhile, especially if we’re looking at doubling service with the Aero service," Rieck said.
The estimated $250,000 cost will cover replacing damaged asphalt with concrete.
