The Tulsa Route 66 Commission wanted an updated estimate on repurposing the historic but long-closed 11th Street Bridge, and it got it — it would be at least $26.6 million.
The commission wants to reuse the bridge as a venue for events and tourism. The new cost estimate is an update from a similar plan 15 years ago by Tulsa Vision 2025, when the estimate was $16 million.
According to Tulsa Public Radio:
City Engineer Paul Zachary said not much has been done since.
“But for it being an arch bridge — if it were an older type of just plain, concrete beam bridge — it would have already been in the water,” Zachary said.
The $26.6 million figure is the 2005 rehab estimate adjusted for inflation plus costs for design work and a new engineering study. Zachary said restoration involves complex work to protect existing structures and, sometimes, fixing damage no one knew about.
“You need to spend more upfront than what you would, like, on a normal bridge that’s brand-new. Any time you get into retrofits and renovations, you see the shows. There’s always the surprises,” Zachary said.
Ken Busby, finance chairman of the commission, echoed a lot of Route 66 enthusiast’s feelings about the lack of upkeep on the bridge.
“If we’d been giving it proper maintenance for the last 70, 80 years, we wouldn’t be in this shape today. And so, it’s like, ‘Gosh, I wish somebody had invested in it then and recognized its value,'” Busby said.
The lack of maintenance on historic bridges remains an ongoing problem in Oklahoma and most other states along the route, with no solution in sight.
The article notes the bridge actually comes in two pieces. The original span finished in 1917 on the west side is in worse shape. The east side of the bridge is an expansion constructed in 1934.
Another concern is the repair work needed on the bridge is so extensive, it may lose its designation to the National Register of Historic Places. However, it’s been my experience if renovations are done carefully, that shouldn’t be a big problem to overcome.
Once the Route 66 Experience facility on the east side of the river gets going, perhaps a citywide fundraising effort and grants for the bridge can accumulate enough funds to repair the bridge. Or George Kaiser or one of Tulsa’s other multimillionaires can write a check for the project in one fell swoop.
The opening of the art deco 11th Street Bridge predated U.S. 66 by more than a decade. It was closed to vehicles in 1980 when a new bridge was built next to it. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
(Image of the 11th Street Bridge in Tulsa by Shane Burkhardt via Flickr)