June 24, 2022
(Tulsa, OK) – Mayor G.T. Bynum held a news conference today in front of McLain High School, 4929 N. Peoria Ave., to celebrate the milestone of 113 new LED streetlights installed as part of the Vision Tulsa Peoria Enhancements project. Other speakers at the news conference included Lana Turner-Addison, President of the North Tulsa Economic Development Initiative (NTEDI); Jennifer Ellis, Vice President of Distribution – Public Service Company of Oklahoma; and Deborah Gist, Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools.
“Adding these 113 new LED streetlights improves both the quantity and the quality of lighting in this area – with LED representing the latest technology,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “The new LED lights are designed to reduce glare and improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and people riding bicycles.”
Representing a nearly $447,000 investment from this project, these new streetlights have dramatically improved lighting for increased visibility and safety on this 2.6-mile section of North Peoria Avenue.
Streetlighting improvements also are occurring citywide. Since the moratorium was lifted in Fiscal Year 2020, 217 lights have been installed in neighborhoods, and 148 lights have been installed on arterial streets. This is in addition to this project on Peoria Avenue. Citizens may make streetlight requests by contacting Tulsa 311.
New sidewalks and landscaping are coming in the next two years to complement these lights on Peoria. This will include $800,000 for Up With Trees to plant and provide 10 years of maintenance for more than 400 new street trees, 2,000 new shrubs, and 950 flowering plants.
Other facets of this project are a $65,000 stormwater drainage improvement at 52nd Street North and three community cleanups (and more planned) led by NTEDI, working with the Tulsa Planning Office at INCOG. So far for these community cleanups, the City of Tulsa has supplied about $1,000 worth of equipment including dumpsters, trash bags and gloves, plus paint, rollers and brushes for graffiti removal. NTEDI recruited community volunteers and students from two schools in the area – North Star Academy and McLain High School. Staff from the Tulsa Planning Office also has participated in the cleanups.
Vision Tulsa included $7 million for the Peoria Connection, of which $3.7 million helped with construction of Peoria Bus Rapid Transit stops along this corridor. The remaining $3.3 million for the Peoria Enhancements project is helping with revitalization efforts along North Peoria Avenue from 56th Street North to Mohawk Boulevard. Additional elements of this project are in the planning stages with more coming soon.
About Vision Tulsa
Vision Tulsa, an $884 million sales tax renewal package approved by voters in 2016, is making substantial investments in economic development, education, public safety, streets and transportation needs citywide. With citizen priorities providing the driving force behind the creation of Vision Tulsa, transformative projects and enhancements are setting the stage for a bright future for Tulsa.