INVITATION FOR PUBLIC COMMENT - I-244 EASTBOUND OVER ARKANSAS RIVER

SUBJECT:

All interested persons are hereby given notice that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has completed a revised bicycle/pedestrian bridge design concept for the I-244 Bridge over Arkansas River. The purpose of this project is to correct the structurally deficient eastbound and westbound bridges on I-244 over the Arkansas River. In February 2010, the westbound bridge replacement project was selected as a candidate for the receipt of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant. The proposed westbound bridge, currently under construction, will be a multimodal structure which would accommodate two dedicated future rail lines and a bicycle/pedestrian facility.

A public meeting was held on April 29, 2010 at the Tulsa Community College Center for Creativity in Tulsa as part of our efforts to keep the public informed of this project and involved in the decision process. As a result of the adverse effect finding through consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office and input received from the public and other stakeholders, some updates were made to the proposed project.

As mitigation for the adverse effect, the Department agreed to include the addition of a bicycle/pedestrian bridge underneath the eastbound bridge. The purpose of the pedestrian bridge would be to provide the public an opportunity to view the historic Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Bridge (11th Street Bridge) up close. This will restore historic views of the 11th Street Bridge which have not been available for view by the public in the last 40 years due to the construction of modern bridges on both sides. The aesthetics for this pedestrian bridge as well as the proposed eastbound and westbound vehicular bridges over Arkansas River will be consistent with Tulsa’s Route 66 Master Plan and their Vision 2025.

The Department let the westbound bridge for construction in February of 2011. Now that the westbound bridge is nearing completion, the Department is examining the prudency of expending additional funds to construct a second pedestrian bridge which would extend all the way across the I-244 eastbound bridge. Instead, the Department is proposing the construction of a viewing platform which will extend from the Route 66 museum on the east side of the bridge, to part of the way across the bridge. Figures showing the original concept and the revised concept are attached.

The Department remains committed to achieving its originally stated goal of restoring historic elevation views of the historic 11th Street bridge, and is confident that this revised design will meet the intended and agreed upon goals, as well as most efficiently make use of available funds. This modified design could be constructed in a manner that provides unobstructed views of the historic bridge, as well as a location for an informational kiosk providing a history of the bridge, and related Route 66 history.

Any written comments on this project should be directed to the Environmental Programs Division Engineer, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, 200 N. E. 21st Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105 or faxed to (405) 522-5193 within two weeks of the date of this notice. Additional information about the project can be obtained from Joe Brutsché at (405) 521-2325 or jbrutsche@odot.org