Construction begins on Route 66 Rising sculpture in Tulsa

Construction of the Route 66 Rising sculpture at Admiral Place (aka Route 66) and Mingo Road in Tulsa began this week.

EFG Creative and Planning of Albuquerque, which designed the sculpture, posted the above photo of the construction Tuesday.

Tulsa World columnist John Klein wrote about the artwork this week.

“We believe the sculpture will become one of the iconic symbols of Route 66 in northeastern Oklahoma,” said Ken Busby, executive director and CEO of the Route 66 Alliance. “It will be a very large structure and will attract a lot of attention for those traveling on Route 66 just like the Blue Whale or Golden Driller.” […]
“Route 66 Rising” will be approximately 70 feet wide and 30 feet high. […]
Work on this Vision 2025 project began Monday, and the installation will take about two weeks.
The budget for this project is $655,000.

Here’s an artist’s rendering of what the sculpture will look like when it’s done:

Eric F. Garcia of EFG Creative designed the sculpture. He also designed the roadrunner-influenced Route 66 directional signs in Albuquerque about three years ago.

The roundabout where the sculpture is being built is part of Avery Traffic Circle, a former site of Cyrus Avery’s motel that also consisted of a gas station and the Old English Inn. Avery long has been known as the “Father of Route 66.”