Construction of the Route 66 Gateways along Tulsa’s eastern and western sections of the Mother Road now is finished, according to city planner Dennis Whitaker.
Whitaker emailed these photos of the gateways at night:
And here’s one of the gateways in the daytime.
Tulsa’s Route 66 Gateways are on 11th Street near Yale Avenue Garnett Road on the city’s east side, and on Southwest Boulevard near 33rd West Avenue on the city’s southwest side.
Those are among the last Route 66 projects of Vision 2025 sales tax, approved in 2003. The last item will by the Route 66 Experience museum at the banks of the Arkansas River. The museum is planned as a public-private effort by the city and the Route 66 Alliance, and more details will be released when the details are worked out. The alliance will have to raise millions of dollars to cover its part of the construction.
UPDATE: A reader noted that the gateway on Southwest Boulevard often is marred by clutter. Whitaker responded that a gnarled tree — deformed by an ice storm years ago — eventually will be removed. Also, the owner of Crystal City Shopping Center said the complex’s big sign eventually will be moved.