Joint public meeting held in Tulsa gives updates on Center of the Universe

A joint public meeting on Monday night between the City of Tulsa and the Downtown Tulsa Partnership (DTP) gave updates on the Center of the Universe and changes to the Boston Avenue Bridge.

The City said they hope to start repairing the bridge by the first of the month, but they are still waiting on a few things before they can start construction.

The Boston Avenue Bridge is a pedestrian bridge between First Street and Archer Street. The Center of the Universe attraction can be found on top of the bridge.

The City’s public works department and the DTP presented updated information on the improvement plan to the community on Monday night.

“On the City side of things, our job is to come in there and use the funds that were entrusted to us to rehabilitate the structure so it can live a long serviced life,” said Elliot Stiles with the City of Tulsa.

Stiles said that number comes out to just over $3.5 million and is funded by Vision Tulsa and Improve our Tulsa, but before they can begin phase one of the process, a few things need to happen.

“The critical path to getting started is permission from the railroad to start on the underside of the structure,” Stiles said.

He said that contractors are actively working to get that done.

“So August 1 is our official start date and that is based on the usual time frame with the turnaround from the railroad’s permitting process,” Stiles said.

When construction does begin, he said there will be some changes to pedestrian walkways and access to the bridge and there will be closures to the landmark.

“The Center of the Universe will generally be off limits to ensure the contractor has a safe working space,” Stiles said.

However, they will ensure that the acoustic anomaly will remain

Emily Scott with the DTP said their team will take over the next portion of the project with the rehabilitation of the upper deck and the Center of the Universe.

“It’s a long time coming and a great public space that is a well-loved space for Tulsa,” Scott said.

She said it’s iconic.

Adam Lawwill, who is visiting from Arizona, thinks the same.

“We heard that you could hear a weird echo noise when you stand in the middle and it was just a landmark you have got to see what it is,” Lawwill said.