Renewing Sense of Place and Connection Along a Historic Stretch of Route 66, in Tulsa’s Market District

Streetscape and placemaking improvements come together through a public-private partnership to encourage and support local investment in new shops, businesses, residences, and entertainment, resulting in a new destination district on a historic stretch of the country’s famous “Mother Road” - Route 66.

MKSK collaborated with the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation (LTFF) and the City of Tulsa to develop streetscape and public realm enhancements focused around a prominent intersection along the Route 66 corridor located in the up and coming Tulsa Market District. Located at the intersection of 11th Street (US-Route 66) and Lewis Avenue, the project area is situated between Downtown Tulsa and the University of Tulsa, and connects several other neighborhood districts to one another.

The LTFF funded the renovation and construction of the district’s new Mother Road Market - Oklahoma’s first food hall and entrepreneurial hub. In an effort to continue to identify and grow the Tulsa Market District and honor Route 66, the LTFF worked with the City to advance funding through Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the project. With planned city subsurface utility updates and the LTFF’s streetscape improvement desires, the City and LTFF coordinated efforts to enable the full impact of the work to be realized as soon as possible and minimize the interruptions caused by construction. The $6.9M investment will position the area to support and promote redevelopment and bring activation to the corridor for local residents and visiting tourists of RT 66 alike.

The following goals were established early in the process with LTFF to achieve the final direction for the project: 1) Create a memorable and distinctive design that enhances the corridor and district; 2) Establish a pattern and quality of streetscape materials that builds upon the heritage of Route 66 and can be replicated and extended along the corridor; 3) Design a complete street that addresses pedestrian safety and mobility; 4) Create a design that is achievable within the established project budget and is supported by both the community and city.

With investment in recent years to restore some of the city’s Route 66 historic landmarks and develop new gateways and public art (like the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza), the corridor is primed for a renaissance that reconnects people to this famed route and its history. The streetscape and public realm improvements will make it safer, more inviting, and livable for those that travel it and the neighborhoods and businesses located along it.

The designed streetscape improvements include the addition of 31,000 square feet of sidewalk width to create broader sidewalks including a 6-ft wide “amenity zone” consisting of local Oklahoma sandstone pavers.  This added width to accommodate pedestrians is accomplished through a “road diet” that removes one lane of traffic within the project limits.  The wider sidewalks will be ADA compliant and greatly improve pedestrian comfort and safety. This project also features new decorative street lighting and the addition of over 75 native street trees, intertwined with a regimented rhythm of Route 66-themed illuminated pylons.  The introduction of street trees provides needed landscape and shade to the corridor. At the corner of 11th Street and Lewis Avenue, a new plaza provides opportunities for programming, gathering, and celebrates the automotive history that led to the prominence of Route 66 in American culture. City infrastructure investments will include new traffic signalization, new and upgraded utilities, roadway resurfacing, and a redesigned concrete intersection.

Existing & Proposed Streetscape and Road Diet at 11th Street & Yorktown Avenue.

Proposed Plaza at 11th Street and Lewis Avenue features a paver pattern that evokes the historic circulation of cars on the once former gas station site. Recently opened shops in the renovated and expanded gas station structure will anchor the corner plaza.

The 11th Street streetscape will activate the pedestrian realm with new street furnishings, expanded sidewalks, 77 street trees, roadway and safety lighting, distinctive hardscape patterning, and iconic RT 66 signage and illuminated pylons.

Inspired by the history of the corridor, MKSK’s landscape architecture and environmental graphics studios collaborated to develop a series of pylon markers that celebrate the rich Art Deco architecture, retro signage, and use of neon along the Route 66 corridor. The designs were incorporated into a “Streetscape Kit-of-Parts” that will serve as a template to inform future improvements along the rest of the Route 66 corridor.

Streetscape pylons (left) are mixed in between street trees and light poles to reinforce the Rt 66 identity, while the “arterial pylons” (right) will be placed at primary intersections each ¼ mile.

A series of illuminated streetscape pylons together with new street light fixtures adorned with LED “neon-esque” strips will activate the corridor at night while providing safety to pedestrian and vehicles.

MKSK is collaborating with Wallace Engineering for civil, electrical, and structural engineering services and engaged Selser Schaefer Architects during the concept development phase. Construction is scheduled to begin in August of 2021 and take approximately 13 months.

This project has received enthusiastic support from the Tulsa Route 66 Commission, the City of Tulsa, and residents and businesses located along the corridor. The community is eagerly anticipating the completion of this transformational project and this new addition to the Route 66 legacy.

11th Street (Route 66) and Lewis Avenue intersection, looking west.