Sure, the BOK Center is coming along nicely. There is some street work, actually a lot of street work, being done. There are apartments, lofts and condominiums on the drawing boards. There are rumors that some new small businesses are being considered.

But for those of us who are down here almost every day or for those who frequent downtown on a regular basis, the progress doesn't seem to be moving as quickly as we had hoped.

For some of the small businesses already here, the progress is a nightmare. The street work, especially along Boulder Avenue and Fourth Street, has put some restaurants in a bind. Many of those restaurant owners have been loyal to downtown through thick and thin.

Of course, no improvement is without its problems. The hope is that when the street work is done the business will return to these loyal business people along with some new patrons.

Right now, there are a whole lot of holes in the downtown streets. There is much-needed and long-delayed work being done on water and sewer lines. As important as that part of the infrastructure is, it is hidden. No one really thinks about it unless it breaks.

The streets, on the other hand, are arguably the most visible, and therefore most important, aspect of the work going on right now. It's sad to say but most of the streets in downtown Tulsa are an embarrassing mess. When the huge holes are finally filled in, it will be important to see how it is done.

Tulsans have become accustomed to patch work. The routine that seems to be the most popular is find a hole -- no matter how big -- and throw some blacktop tar into it. That works fine until the next rainstorm comes along. The patchwork -- which by the way is really ugly -- becomes a pothole almost as soon as the water hits it.

Good roads can be built. Drive down Yale Avenue from 41st Street to 71st Street. It's concrete. It's smooth. It's wide. And it likely will last quite a while.

Yes, blacktop would seem likely to be more susceptible to erratic weather changes. Is concrete? The long stretch of concrete along 71st Street from Harvard Avenue to Garnett Road has weathered the weather pretty well for several years.

Concrete, however, is more expensive than blacktop. There might lie the real rub.

This rather circuitous route brings us back to downtown. Repaving all the downtown streets with concrete would, of course, be very expensive. It also would be a long, difficult task. Think businesses are disrupted now? A total concrete resurface of downtown streets would take disruption to a new level.

Other than the streets, another glaring problem seems to be the lack of any other construction work. If the arena is going to open in the fall of 2008, then shouldn't there be some other stuff going up? How about a hotel?

The key to much of this appears to be the moving of City Hall to new digs at One Technology Center. That move, which ought to go forward, presumably would open land in the old City Hall space for a hotel.

Tulsa has some excellent, large hotels in downtown. A hotel on the old City Hall footprint, along with the Crowne Plaza, Doubletree and the refurbishing of the Great Western on Boulder puts three, possibly four, good hotels within walking distance of the new arena.

The land across Denver Avenue and the BOK Center has not proven to be a hot property for hotels. It would be, however, an excellent spot for an entertainment district. If anchored by a big-name restaurant/club it could spur further growth in the immediate area as well as help the established spots downtown.

The big concern, however, is the prospect that the BOK Center will have its grand opening in 2008 and the streets will not have been improved. Nothing says low-brow like a shiny new arena and a pot-holed, patched-up, bumpy street leading to and from it.

Honestly, some of the streets are so bad it's difficult to walk across them much less drive on them.

As inconvenient as the street work is -- 50 blocks are being rehabilitated to coincide with the arena opening next year -- it is necessary and there's no way to complete it without some disruption to business. What is the alternative: leaving the streets unrepaired?

If it is any consolation to the small business owners trapped by street work, they might check with some of the business owners along South Yale Avenue who were isolated for a couple years by street improvements and the widening of I-44. The completed projects have made the area more accessible and business is good again.

In the meantime, downtown customers need to brave the barricades and help keep these loyal downtown businesses afloat.

City officials are aware of the problems. They know that citizens are eager to get things done. So are they. The arena, which is on schedule and under budget, is destined to be the jewel in the new downtown.

It is very likely that in three years downtown will look vastly different. That's the goal that Tulsans need to keep in mind.

Mike Jones 581-8332
mike.jones@tulsaworld.com