Meeting over the proposed Bixby Toll Bridge set for tonight

Hundreds of Bixby and south Tulsa homeowners will meet tonight to discuss the proposed Bixby Toll Bridge. <br/><br/>Drivers could cut through Bixby much quicker for one dollar, but some residents say

Monday, April 25th 2005, 6:16 am

By: News On 6

Hundreds of Bixby and south Tulsa homeowners will meet tonight to discuss the proposed Bixby Toll Bridge.

Drivers could cut through Bixby much quicker for one dollar, but some residents say the increased traffic is a toll they don't want to pay.

6 in the Morning reporter Omar Villafranca says residents from several homeowners associations say this bridge will be a traffic nightmare for them.

The bridge would continue Yale South past 121st Street over the Arkansas River; it will connect to 131st and Yale Place.

Government leaders say the $33-million bridge will bring new homes and businesses to the area, without costing residents a dime. Infrastructure Ventures say it will pay, build and maintain the bridge and collect the profits, but some residents say the cost of progress is too high. Homeowners say increased traffic and noise will hurt their property values.

Residents also think more semi's will use the road because of the proximity to Kimberly Clark and a power plant. Those are just a few of the issues residents want to discuss.

The meeting is tonight at 7 PM at St. James Methodist Church on 111th and Yale.

If all the plans go through, construction will begin sometime next year and the bridge will open in 2007.