Last month, word that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation would improve Oklahoma Route 66 between Arcadia and Luther made the owner of The Boundary wonder whether his barbecue restaurant would have to be razed.
He’s probably resting easier after what was announced at an ODOT public hearing about the project Tuesday night at an Arcadia church. Here’s the last paragraph from a report by The Oklahoman newspaper:
Officials assured the crowd local businesses and historic buildings, such as the Round Barn, Boundary Barbecue, and a historic grocery store will be left untouched in all of the department’s proposed project options. That announcement was met with applause.
I suspect a few customers of The Boundary applauded, too.
The Boundary is so named because it sits right next to the Indian Meridian — the eastern boundary of the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. The 1930s building occupied by the restaurant once was a gas station, a tire shop and a bar.
The gist is ODOT wants to add shoulders to the highway, improve drainage and rebuild two troublesome intersections.
That prompted a little pushback from historical advocates:
Ann Young, with the Arcadia Historical and Preservation Society, said her organization does support safety improvements but urged the state Transportation Department to be cautious of disrupting the highway’s historic significance, which includes buildings that are close to a century old.
“(Visitors) don’t come here to drive on a widened and straightened modern highway,” Young said, reading from a prepared statement, “but are instead drawn by the promise of experiencing the original winding, meandering route. Preserving the aesthetics and history of Route 66 should be a key consideration to any proposed improvement project.”
The fact about 100 people attended this hearing was encouraging. Perhaps ODOT was going to leave The Boundary alone regardless. But this sort of response from the public lets the bureaucrats know they can’t as easily slip something by without someone noticing.
UPDATE: The Edmond Sun newspaper also had a good write-up about the hearing.
(Image of The Boundary via Facebook)