TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa's ambitious plan to debut a new bus rapid transit line along historic Route 66 for the centennial celebration has stalled, leaving the city without its promised transportation upgrade as 2026 arrives.
The second BRT line was designed to stretch from downtown to Eastgate Metroplex, featuring 44 state-of-the-art stations along the iconic highway. The project was intended to serve as a crown jewel for Tulsa's centennial year.
Scott Marr with MetroLink did not want to comment on the delay. He told 2 News he reached out to their consultant to get an updated timeline, but we didn't hear back in time for publication.
Planning for the transit line began in 2020 when the mayor's office tasked the Tulsa Planning Office with mapping the future of the route. Over several years, planners analyzed data, held steering committee meetings and studied three different downtown alignments while examining demographics, employment centers and tourism destinations.
The final route connects Garnett Road to 11th Street from Harvard to downtown, and 21st Street from 145th East Avenue to Garnett. The line would serve major destinations including the University of Tulsa, the Meadow Gold District and the Eastgate Metroplex.
The federal government supported the vision by awarding Tulsa $12.7 million through the Raise program in June 2024.
However, no construction is visible along 11th Street. No stations are under construction, no crews are working and no signs of progress are apparent as the centennial year unfolds.
The planning included a land use framework to encourage development along the route, similar to the successful mixed-use rezoning program along Peoria Avenue. That program has generated more than 30 completed rezonings.
Tulsa's existing BRT on Peoria Avenue demonstrates the concept's effectiveness, carrying a third of the city's transit ridership and increasing corridor usage by 60 percent.
The question remains when Route 66 will receive its modern transit line and whether the centennial momentum will be lost by the time the first bus travels down the Mother Road.
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