It took a little longer than expected, but Dewey Avenue (aka Route 66) in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, reopened to traffic last week after multiple infrastructure improvements.
Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who leads the state’s tourism department, hailed the reopening during a ceremony, reported the Sapulpa Times. Also attending were the mayor, city council and city staff.
After several setbacks in the project, including COVID, raising additional funding through ODOT, and finding the right contractors, the project formally kicked off on March 4th. Though the ReDewey project was expected to wrap up by the end of October, weather delays and changes to some of the landscaping extended the project to January 16th.
Small business owners were among the hardest hit by the project, as customers had to get used to parking on side streets and in parking lots and taking a (usually) short walk to reach their destination. […]
Although the difference is noticeable to anyone who visited Sapulpa in the last year, the biggest upgrade was in the ground underneath Dewey Avenue.
Trenches were dug 4 to 5 feet deep or more, depending on the needs, in order to expand the sewer and water lines to handle new businesses, tourism expected this year, and the large crowds brought by the Route 66 Christmas Chute.
Here’s a video from the reopening ceremony that includes footage of classic cars driving down the refurbished street.
The reopening of Dewey not only means that travelers can enjoy it during Route 66’s centennial this year, but the Route 66 Christmas Chute will return after a one-year hiatus.
(Screen-capture image from Sapulpa Times video of the ribbon-cutting for Dewey Avenue)