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What are the latest updates on construction projects in BA?
In the September edition of Broken Arrow in Motion, we have updates on phase one of the Elam Park improvements, the County Line Road widening and bridge replacement project from Kenosha to Houston streets, a new widening project that will begin soon on Houston Street from Garnett to Olive, and more. (Click here to watch City Manager Michael Spurgeon discuss these projects in the September 2024 edition of Broken Arrow in Motion.)
The first phase of Elam Park is very near completion. The trees have been planted and the restroom fixtures are installed. Landscaping should also finish up soon, and the contractor has some groundwork to do before installing the slide. Stay tuned for an announcement about the grand opening soon.
At Events Park, infrastructure improvements are underway by both the city and the private developer in preparation for the new 12,500-seat amphitheater coming to Broken Arrow. On the city’s portion of the project, a sanitary sewer line is being installed. A waterline interconnection with Rural Water District #4 is being established, and preparations are being made for a new pedestrian bridge at the park entrance. Work will begin soon on the turnpike on-ramps, and the electrical package has been awarded. The site grading is complete, and work continues on the electrical and irrigation conduits. The developer, Venu, formerly known as Notes Live, is expected to break ground on the amphitheater in October, so stay tuned for more information.
Camino Villa Sewer Improvements. The installation of a new sanitary sewer pipe is 70 percent complete. Once the pipe work is finished, the manhole repairs and new installation will begin. This project should finish in late November 2024.
Drainage culvert near Elm Place and Date Avenue. The project that was in front of the Broken Arrow Nursing Home is now substantially complete, 20 days ahead of schedule. The roadway is open again and will not impact access to Broken Arrow Nursing Home.
New waterline on 1st Place between New Orleans and Washington streets. The new 8-inch waterline is replacing a main that was first installed back in 1911. This work will be done in connection with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s project to build the next phase of the Broken Arrow Creek Trail on 1st Place. This is another example of the City’s efforts to make connectivity a priority. With the help of ODOT, we are improving our sidewalks and trail system to give people travel options in our beautiful city.
The Fleet Maintenance Building is substantially complete. PSO has completed the electrical installation, and ONG will install the natural gas lines soon. The City’s Maintenance Services department is moving in equipment and completing the heat and air installation for the facility.
Widening project on Houston Street, from Garnett Road to Olive Avenue. Becco Construction will begin widening Houston Street, also known as 81st Street, to five lanes including a center turn lane. Construction is expected to start in late September and will take one year to complete.
County Line Road (23rd Street) from Kenosha to Houston streets. This project is nearing completion. The paving is finished, and cleanup, striping and a few punch list items are all that is left on this one.
37th Street widening project from Albany to Kenosha. The waterline portion is complete, and the contractor is now expanding the roadway. Southbound traffic is closed for approximately 60 days, but the northbound lane is still open.
More than 3,000 people got specific about street improvements needed in the next bond issue in the Roadway Improvements Survey completed over 21 days in June.
“This data is very important, it’s crucial to know what the public is thinking,” City Manager Michael Spurgeon said. “Folks say streets are the number one priority and that it’s an area where we can improve. In a fast-growing community, that’s not unexpected.”
Traditionally, transportation propositions comprise 50 percent of the general obligation bond packages, Spurgeon said.
“If you look at where we are right now, we could be looking at a $375 to $400 million general obligation bond package in 2026,” Spurgeon said. “Of that, we could be seeing somewhere between $150 to $180 million worth of projects, which could include at least 15 road widenings, plus other improvements to intersections to move traffic through the community.”
City of Broken Arrow Communications Director Aaron McColloch presented the survey’s findings to the City Council on Aug. 20. Click here to see the Roadway Improvements Survey results in their entirety.
“We got 3,064 responses, which is an amazing response from the community,” McColloch said.
The Roadway Improvement Survey presented 40 locations around the community with capital improvement ideas to gauge the level of support for each one.
Respondents rated each of the 40 locations by five designations.
- Strongly support
- Support
- Neither support/nor oppose
- Oppose
- Strongly oppose
According to the survey, the following are the top 10 locations that were ripe for improvement.
1. Adding a center turn lane to Elm Place between New Orleans Street and Florence Street.
2. Widen County Line Road to three lanes between Houston Street and Washington Street.
3. Widen Kenosha Street to five lanes between Aspen Avenue and Rhema Bible Church.
4. Improve the intersection of Kenosha and Aspen Avenue.
5. Widen County Line Road to three lanes between Washington Street and New Orleans Street.
6. Widen Washington Street to five lanes between Aspen Avenue and Elm Place.
7. Widen Houston Street to five lanes between Aspen Avenue and Elm Place.
8. Improve the intersection of Kenosha Street and Elm Place.
9. Resurface Lynn Lane between New Orleans Street and Florence Street, including safety improvements such as guard rails.
10. Widen Washington Street to five lanes between Arrowhead Park Softball Complex and Lynn Lane.
“The vast majority of the public’s response was for projects already being worked on,” McColloch said. “Some of the projects are Tulsa County and Wagoner County projects.”
According to the city manager, 10 miles of road improvements still need to be completed that were approved by the voters in the 2018 General Obligation Bond.
“Most of those projects are somewhere in the construction cycle. It could be in the design, right of way, or the construction phase,” he said. “One of those projects—Houston Street, from Garnett to Olive Street, will begin right after Labor Day.”
McColloch also stressed that the information from the survey is just data at this point. The goal was to find solutions to improve the traffic flow in the city.
“We learned from the Comprehensive Survey back in February that traffic flow received a 40 percent positive rating,” he said. “We wanted to do a deeper dive, and that’s what this is. It will help us as we move forward to look at different ways to improve traffic flow and get people moving more.”
City Manager Micheal Spurgeon and the staff will analyze the data and make recommendations to the City Council next year for the 2026 General Obligation Bond Package.
Another survey will be released in the fall examining connectivity—walkability and rideability within the city.
 Haikey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant
A loan agreement with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) will finance parts of 21 water utility improvement projects in the City of Broken Arrow, totaling $20.2 million.
The low-interest loan will be used for Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Improvement Projects as part of the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Programs.
At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Broken Arrow City Council approved Resolution No. 1597, which authorizes the Broken Arrow Municipal Authority (BAMA) to issue, sell, and deliver its Series 2024A Promissory Note to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. It also authorizes the loan's acceptance and the issuance of a promissory note not exceeding $21,450,000.
"The Oklahoma Water Resources Board has been there ever since I can remember, and they are there for the communities to provide safe drinking water and sanitary sewer water for the cities," said City Councilor Johnnie Parks.
The program will finance 11 Clean Water projects to improve the sanitary sewer system, totaling just over $12 million.
Two of the projects to be funded through the loan are at the Haikey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCWWTP). The plant services Broken Arrow and Tulsa and is a part of the Regional Metropolitan Utility Authority (RMUA). The RMUA is a joint venture between the cities of Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, and Owasso. Its purpose is to maintain, operate, and provide water supply, wastewater, and pollution control facilities.
One of the HCWWTP projects is a composting facility, that is expected to cost more than $30 million to build. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $9 million toward the project, which leaves approximately $24 million to be split evenly between the City of Tulsa and the BAMA. The plan is to fund the project with OWRB loans over the next two years.
"We try to look after the environment and the ecology with everything the City does," Parks said. "Really, the water is better when we empty it back into the Arkansas River than when we take it out of the river."
Another 10 projects, estimated to cost $8.2 million, will improve the City's drinking water infrastructure. For example, funds from the Safe Drinking Water (SDW) Loan Program will provide $870,000 to design the Oklahoma Ordinance Works Authority (OOWA)/Grand River Line Connection, which, when the entire project is completed will give the City an additional water source besides the Verdigris River.
The Safe Drinking Water project list also includes a 2-million-gallon (MG) water tank restoration project at Tiger Hill, estimated to cost $1.6 million to design and construct.
The following is the complete list of the projects funded by the Clean Water Loan Program and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, as well as the phases to be completed in Fiscal Year 2025.
CLEAN WATER LOAN PROGRAM
Haikey Creek Plant-Composting Facility— (Securing funding for BAMA's total $12 million cost of construction - $4,592,750 Haikey Creek Plant-Oxidation Ditch Demolition—Construction - $220,000
County Line Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Phase IIB (New Orleans to Washington)—Design- $150,000
Covington Creek Sewer Improvements—Property Acquisition/Design- $110,000
Lynn Lane Trunk Sewer Improvements Phase II—Property Acquisition/Design- $310,000
County Line Trunk Sewer Phase III—-Construction- $900,000
Oak Crest Sewer Improvements—Construction/Inspection- $3,434,000
Aspen Creek Trunk Line-Property—Acquisition/Design- $300,000
Cambridge Lift Station and Park Lane Lift Station rehabilitation—Construction/Inspection- $1,942,500
SAFE DRINKING WATER (SDW) LOAN PROGRAM
Verdigris River Water Treatment Plant Pumps #4, #5—Design - $50,000
VRWTP additional FRP brine tank—Construction-$780,000
OOWA/Grand River Line Connection—Design-$870,000
Lead and Copper rule revisions—Construction- $250,000
Transmission Line-South Loop Phase II (9th Waco--Florence; Florence-Elm)—Property Acquisition/Construction/Inspection- $1,465,500
Old Town Waterlines—Design/Construction/Inspection- $427,500
BA Creek Trail Phase II WL Bore under New Orleans—Construction- $300,000
Oak Crest Waterline Replacement—Construction - $1,500,000
Rural Water District #4 Interconnect—Construction- $440,000
Bixby Interconnect I (Mingo Road and Florence)—Construction- $550,000
2MG Water Tank Restoration (Tiger Hill)—Design/Construction- $1,600,000
Total OWRB Loan Program —$20,292,250.00
Five projects were brought before City Council for review during the August 2024 meetings.
- The council approved a planned unit development for 81st Street Storage Facility, located north of Houston Street and west of 23rd Street.
- A conditional final plat was approved for Antler Falls, located in the southeast corner of Houston Street and 257th.
- A comprehensive plan change was approved for Ven Park, located north of Kenosha Street and east of North Elm Place.
- The council approved a rezoning request for Broken Arrow West, located west of 193rd E. Avenue and south of Jasper Street.
- A rezoning request and specific use permit for the Floral Haven expansion was tabled and will continue discussions at a future meeting. Click the image below to watch Community Development Update to learn more about projects in your neighborhood.
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