The City of Tulsa has applied for a $949,000 grant form the National Scenic Byways program to build an interpretive center, restrooms, and sidewalks at the Route 66 Transportation Village in southwest Tulsa, reported the current print edition of the Tulsa County News.
The newspaper said it should be known by summer of fall whether the city is awarded the grant. City Planner David Simmons seemed optimistic:
“We had successfully applied for this type of grant before and we work with the City of Tulsa Public Works Department on the different types of funding needed,” Simmons said.
“[…] We are supported by the City Council and the mayor and many letters of support and it is well-written and well-supported and will be very competitive. It is hard to predict but we did get one of these for 11th Street and Yale Avenue so we’re hopeful about getting this for another stretch of Route 66.”
The Tulsa County News said the interpretive center would include handicap-accessible bathrooms and an informational kiosk with a map that shows Route 66 and its eight states. It also would point out local restaurants and points of historical interest.
Route 66 Village is home to the 154-foot-tall Red Fork Centennial Oil Derrick, plus the Frisco Meteor 4500 steam locomotive and several railroad cars.
The sidewalks would run on the west side of Southwest Boulevard (aka Route 66) as needed from 25th Street to 41st Street, near the Ollie’s Station restaurant.
The city had better hope the Byways Program awards the grant this year. Tulsa may not get another chance at it, as some U.S. lawmakers have proposed repealing the program to save money.