Construction of a new bridge over Crow Creek at 3200 S. Peoria Ave. is complete and the road has reopened to traffic. Mayor G.T. Bynum and District 9 City Councilor Jayme Fowler celebrated the bridge opening at a news conference today.
“Brookside traffic is flowing freely again, now that Peoria Avenue has reopened, and we can drive over the new Crow Creek Bridge,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “Along with traffic being able to pass through once again, we have a much better bridge for the stormwater flow of Crow Creek.”
The new bridge is built with a larger stormwater capacity to handle the 100-year storm or a 1 percent chance of a flood in any given year. It replaced the old 1938 bridge which had become structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.
The temporary closure of Peoria Avenue during the project has caused some inconvenience but closing the road has maintained a safe work zone. The road closure eliminated potential hazards of workers and traffic being near each other.
Closing the road also allowed for a $1.3 million price reduction, which helped the Crow Creek bridge project stay within its budget. Otherwise, the addition of safety considerations for the traveling public would have created price increases, contractor staging conflicts, and project sequencing challenges.
Closing the road also saved over two months of construction time. The closure was discussed with local businesses in Brookside with their support.
The City of Tulsa has contracted with Tri-Star Construction for this $2,275,558 project, funded by the Improve Our Tulsa sales tax.