Financial Impact Of Toll Bridge Weighed

Wednesday, December 20th 2006, 8:37 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) A proposed new toll bridge over the Arkansas River would require the city of Tulsa to spend as much as $300 million in street rehabilitation and other improvements, according to a city council study.

City council policy administrator Jack Blair said the study of possible improvements, which would include some street widening, is partially based on the bridge's estimated traffic counts.

But scores of other unfunded improvements in the area would be needed over the next 40 years to handle the additional traffic flow from a bridge, Blair said. Many are not in the city's capital improvements program for consideration of funding, he said.

Undetermined expenses would include increased police and fire coverage in the area, Blair said.

Councilor Bill Christiansen, who requested the study, said it is imperative for Tulsa to be a major beneficiary of any toll bridge to offset the potential infrastructure costs.

``As I've said from the beginning, if a bridge is to be built, it should be a public project, and the city of Tulsa should be a primary participant,'' he said.

Representatives of Infrastructure Ventures Inc., the private company seeking to build the bridge with Jenks, disputed the council's findings.

``Those numbers sound real high,'' Infrastructure Ventures President Bill Bacon said, noting that he hadn't yet reviewed the study.

Jenks Mayor Vic Vreeland said the council's study is another attempt by Christiansen to thwart the bridge project.

Jenks and the Arkansas River Bridge Authority have a contract with Infrastructure Ventures to build and operate a toll bridge connecting Tulsa and Jenks. Bixby is a participant in the authority but would not get any of the toll revenue.

The South Tulsa Citizens Coalition is suing the Arkansas River Bridge Authority, Jenks and Infrastructure Ventures to stop construction of the bridge. District Judge David Peterson is expected to make a ruling on the case Wednesday after hearing oral arguments.

The coalition is a group of home owners living south of the river who oppose the proposed bridge alignment.

Under the 75-year agreement, Jenks would receive 15 percent of the net revenues for the first 30 years and 20 percent over the rest of the contract's term, amounting to $171 million.

The private company, Infrastructure Ventures, would bring in an estimated $620 million over the duration of the contract.

The Jenks City Council has approved annexing a part of the Arkansas River that would be the site of the bridge. Tulsa owns land on the river's north bank that would be necessary for approaches to the bridge, and the city has opposed relinquishing any land needed for the bridge.