The first work is being done on a rapid bus route that will run up and down Peoria Avenue.
A consultant is working with Metro Tulsa Transit Authority and INCOG on where and what size bus stop platforms will be. James Wagner with INCOG said they needed to start now to coordinate with street rehab projects on Peoria, but don’t expect to see anything soon.
"When these rehab projects start to happen in 2017, then you'll start to see the — you know, the streets will be rehabbed, and you'll see a platform built," Wagner said. "But there won't be any vertical construction until 2021."
Three one-mile stretches of Peoria are a priority right now: 11th to 21st, Admiral to 11th and 41st to 51st. Eventually there may be stops every half mile on both sides of the street.
Though the rapid bus route is several years away, funding has already been identified as a potential problem.
Many cities with rapid bus routes fund their operations with dedicated sales taxes — Dallas and Atlanta a full cent, Kansas City three-eighths of a cent. But those cities can also use other sources of funding, such as local-option fuel taxes or vehicle registration fees.
"We don't have that flexibility in Oklahoma, and so I think that really puts the city in a tough position in terms of the operating funding for the project," Wagner said.
Capital funding is there now for the bus stop plans. Tulsa’s transit board may implement a task force to evaluate funding options.
