Editorial: Tulsa ought to consider Muscogee Nation bridge

Opinion

Friday, April 2, 2010

"An official with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Trade and Commerce Authority confirmed for the first time publicly that the tribe indeed plans to build a toll bridge across the Arkansas River from 131st Street in Jenks to about 121st Street and Yale Avenue in south Tulsa.

CEO Michael Wisner said the toll bridge and related development will amount to a $1 billion investment in that area and result in hundreds if not thousands of jobs.

Bridge proposals for this site have been the subject of considerable controversy for years. The cities of Tulsa, Jenks and Bixby, as well as a private developer, have batted various ideas around, but no local entity was ever able to get a project off the drawing board.

But the tribe apparently does have the wherewithal to pull the project off. The tribe already has bought about 42.5 acres in the area and is asking the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to put the land in trust, a step that would enable the plan to move ahead.

Some local officials and area residents are opposed to the tribe's plan, and complaints still are being aired. Tulsa City Councilor Bill Christiansen voiced concerns about traffic hazards, zoning issues, sales tax and property tax questions and infrastructure demands.

Those are all legitimate concerns. But the city may find itself on the losing end of all such debates and ought to consider how to make the best of the situation should the tribe's plan become a fait accompli."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Two bridges (The Tulsa World 4/2)