Like everyone else in Tulsa, I'm waiting to see some real street repair take shape. And, probably like everyone else, I'm impatient.
I know it takes time to award contracts and sell bonds and, in some instances, settle criminal cases. Still, I'm ready for some smooth and attractive streets.
I drive pretty much the same route to and from work and to shopping and restaurants, so I have some pet projects that I want to see addressed. Most everyone probably does. Here some of mine:
Cheyenne Avenue downtown; Boulder Avenue downtown; Riverside Drive; 41st Street; Yale Avenue north of 36th Street; Lewis Avenue north of 51st Street.
I have an idea for Lewis Avenue. It's likely not to be a popular one, but it's simply a thought.
Lewis is narrow and the curb lanes have a roller coaster effect. The street has been paved over so much that the water drains are deep. Every time you drive over one you car dips and bounces.
The narrowness of the street has not deterred people from driving too fast. I think it's a dangerous street, especially for those not familiar with it. I recently took an out-of-town friend along that route returning from a restaurant at night. I drove the speed limit, or close to it, but I could tell he was terrified and was relieved when I finally turned onto 41st.
So, how about this: Make Lewis, north of 51st to maybe 11th Street, into a two-lane street with left-turn lanes. It would make for nice, wide lanes and the left-turn lanes would not deter traffic. It would be a massive project but it seems like a rational idea to me.
There has been an idea floating around for years to make Lewis one-way north in the mornings and one-way south in the evenings from 11th to 51st, but that sounds too complicated to me.
Of course, my two-lane idea is going to go about as far as my idea to stop left turns southbound on Riverside Drive and shut off access at all streets other than 41st, 31st and 21st – which is nowhere.
