Converting Tulsa's Boston Avenue To 2-Way Traffic

One of downtown's major streets is undergoing some major changes. Boston Avenue won't look anything like it does now, but the work has a ways to go. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says

Monday, August 14th 2006, 10:06 am

By: News On 6

One of downtown's major streets is undergoing some major changes. Boston Avenue won't look anything like it does now, but the work has a ways to go.

News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says the cars cut through the dust, but pedestrians have bear it while Boston Avenue is dug up and rebuilt.

Damen Banks has already broken a headlight on a pothole. Because of the dust, he has to wipe down his scooter before he hops on. "My clients have a hard time trying to find a place to work, but I guess it's all for the good.â€

It's a $5.5-million job on Boston Avenue to rebuild the street and the sidewalk and to help do for Tulsa what Oklahoma City did years ago.

"We are now where they were 10 years ago." Jim Norton with Downtown Tulsa Unlimited helped plans these changes for Boston and the other downtown streets. â€œThere will be a new curb, a new paved street, asphalt, new street furniture, new trash cans, new trees and new light poles.â€

Once Boston Avenue is done, the sidewalk will look like the one on Main Street, it will look like brick. And though Boston Avenue will be four lanes, like Main, it will be back to two way traffic.

The section of Boston that's one-way now, from 3rd Street down to 10th Street, will be two way when the job is done. Most downtown streets were made one way to help people leave after the work day. It worked - so well that people left and wouldn't come back. With the job done on Main Street and the same sort of project on Boston to be done next summer, planners hope it's a chance to turn around traffic and in the process, turn around the feeling and the health of downtown.

The job on Boston won't be done until next August. More streets will be converted to two-way traffic and repaved and when they're done, downtown will have only six one-way streets.