TULSA, Okla. — Community leaders say there are millions of dollars in revenue that could be generated if the one-mile stretch of I-244 that runs through Greenwood could be removed.
North Peoria Church of Christ was awarded $1.6 million in grant money for a study to see if it's possible to remove the stretch of I-244 between Highway 75 and the L.L. Tisdale Parkway.
"It's a very visible division between north Tulsa and downtown," said Lanetta Lyons.
Lanetta Lyons grew up in Tulsa, moved away, and then chose to retire here a few years ago. She's part of the group that secured the $1.6 million for the feasibility study.
"We're excited about this study," said Dr. Warren Blakney, pastor at North Peoria Church of Christ, says they're in the planning stages of the study.
The ultimate goal is to create a community land trust that would redevelop the 30 acres of land the highway removal would create. The group says it could generate between $5-10 million worth of sales tax and property tax revenue.
"You could get several thousand new units of residential, several hundred thousand square feet of commercial space so you're talking about hundreds of new businesses," said Cody Brandt.
House District 73 State Rep. Regina Goodwin has been behind the effort for years.
"We really want to see I-244 that northern leg come out because we know it would truly reconnect our community," Goodwin said.
Their plan would take down that stretch of highway and identify alternative existing routes that would re-route traffic around Greenwood instead of through it. It's a plan that's happened in other communities like Rochester and Syracuse, New York.
"This is a vision that surpasses, I think, the destruction and the interruption that was caused in that community," Goodwin said.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the City of Tulsa also submitted a joint application for the grant money that was unsuccessful.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation recognizes the history and importance of the Greenwood area to the community and has worked with the City of Tulsa and others in recent years to make Interstate 244 more visually appealing and improve neighborhood walkability. These efforts include providing space for murals on multiple retaining walls and underpasses as well as completing the Pathway to Hope, a $5 million walking path connecting Greenwood Avenue and John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park.
The Inner Dispersal Loop is a critical part of the expressway system in northeast Oklahoma, the region and the nation, and I-244 itself carries between 70,000-80,000 vehicles per day. Additionally, the state has invested $245 million of taxpayer money on improvements and maintenance of the IDL since 2005.
We are disappointed that the ODOT and City of Tulsa partnership Reconnecting Communities grant proposal was unsuccessful. ODOT will be reaching out to the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking input and comments about our grant application. The Department will continue to work with the City of Tulsa and the community to consider opportunities for planning the future of I-244. Any contemplation of a potential closure of the interstate should only be in a long-range planning context. Such an initiative would need to consider multiple issues, including impacts to the highway and local street system, necessary upgrades to other facilities, access to Downtown Tulsa, and potential alternate routes. We look forward to working with the city as well as the Greenwood community on long-range planning.
“This land would be much better suited in the hands of the people than brick and mortar and concrete going through the heart of it,” said Keith Mayes, senior pastor at Vernon A.M.E. Church.
Mayes says the money to fund the study is welcome news.
“I think the fact that they are willing to do that shows that they see value in it and see that it’s a viable project,” Mayes said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the grant money Tuesday after the pastor at North Peoria Church of Christ, Dr. William Blakney submitted the application along with community members.
Blakney says there are about 30 acres that could be open to housing and businesses that would generate revenue and would be economically beneficial for both the city and the Greenwood community. Mayes agrees.
“Let’s get rid of all that division and have one Tulsa,” Mayes said.
The project is part of a federal initiative called the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. Forty-five projects are getting a part of $185 million in grant money.
“There is no one that can deny the damage and destruction that that highway did to what was left of Greenwood,” said Phil Armstrong, President and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice.
Armstrong headed the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission and was interim executive director at the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center. He says this kind of work has been done in other communities and he’s ready for the study to take place here to see what’s possible for the future.
“Let’s have a discussion,” Armstrong said. “What have other communities done and what would it look like if we were to reclaim this area and see the economic viability return without having this highway continually be a visual reminder of what it did to destroy this community for a second time.”
The DOT says the federal pilot program is designed to reconnect communities that are cut off from opportunity because of past transportation infrastructure decisions.
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