Plenty Of Parking Available For BOK

By Emory Bryan, News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The opening concert at the BOK Center is Saturday night. More than 18,000 people are expected downtown and many might be wondering where to park. There are plenty of spots close by and across downtown, and those might be best, because there's a shuttle bus that will run every five minutes.

Even with the BOK Center in view, finding a nearby parking spot might be a challenge for people unfamiliar with downtown. The signs can be confusing, so people going to the Eagles concert need to look for a sign, and people in bright green shirts.

"We want to make sure everybody has a very good experience when they come down," said Suzann Stewart of the Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The convention and visitors bureau will have 60 people downtown giving directions.

"We thought it would be a good idea to be able to show them where to park, explain the shuttle system and give them information about restaurants and dining options before and after the event and generally provide the kind of Tulsa hospitality that we're known for," said Stewart.

That hospitality extends to a free shuttle bus that will loop around 1st and 4th streets to drop people off close to the concert.

"There's a route with four stops that we'll be taking tomorrow night for the concert.  We start at 6:30 p.m. and we'll run an hour after the event ends," said Cynthia Staab of Tulsa Transit.

There are literally thousands of parking spots within a five minute walk and thousands more along the bus line.  No one should have any trouble getting to the BOK Center.

The city has 700 free parking spots downtown, mostly along the curb. There are 7,000 spots in close by parking lots, but they are not free. The shuttle bus will link two dozen of those parking lots with the BOK Center.