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Two-Mile Stretch of Riverside Drive Reopen After More Than Three Years

Matt Trotter
/
KWGS

Tulsa has even more cause for celebration following this weekend’s opening of the Gathering Place: Riverside Drive has reopened.

A two-mile stretch from 21st Street to 41st Street was closed more than three years while the Gathering Place was under construction. The drive will definitely be smoother. The stretch of road previously rated just 46 out of 100 on the City of Tulsa's pavement condition index.

"But it was projected to fall to a rating of 30 within three years of use," said Mayor G.T. Bynum. "So, we’ve gone from a street that was one of, really, in almost the worst disrepair of any major street in our city to, perhaps, the most iconic stretch of road in our city moving forward."

A lot has changed besides the obvious new pavement, wider lanes and straighter road. The City of Tulsa’s $40 million in improvements include a new water line, sewer and drainage improvements.

"We’ve improved all of that underground infrastructure so that we don’t need to mess with the street anymore. The street will be in great shape for years to come," Bynum said.

Engineers estimate the road can accomodate about a 30 percent increase in traffic now. There are also new traffic signals, pedestrian improvements and better trail connectivity.

Louisa Ward with the Federal Highway Administration said all that work was helped along with a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Revovery, or TIGER, grant.

"Some federal funding is leveraged with significant private sector funding — in this case, the George Kaiser Family Foundation — and local public agency investment to successfully deliver a project that far exceeds what the federal government could do alone," Ward said.

City funding for Riverside Drive projects came from the Improve Our Tulsa sales tax and stormwater enterprise funds.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.