By John Dobberstein, Editor
The Broken Arrow City Council approved the construction contract Tuesday to rebuild the intersection of New Orleans Street and Elm Place as part of New Orleans Square’s revitalization efforts.
Bids were opened on May 10 with 4 bids received. Diversified Civil Contractors was awarded the contract with a bid of $4.46 million, which was deemed by the city as the lowest responsible bid.
The city’s Engineering & Construction Department worked with the design firm Kimley-Horn to complete the final design plans for improvements to and streetscaping of the intersection.
The project plans were presented to the Broken Arrow City Council during its meeting on April 19, 2022 and include:
- Decorative concrete intersection
- Asphalt mill and overlay
- About 2,400 feet of 12 inch waterline
- Approximately 2,200 feet of 5-feet wide sidewalk
- About 600 feet of 10-feet wide sidewalk
- Landscaping and irrigation
- Hardscaping
- Gateways
- Streetlighting
- Traffic Signals
The new pavement configuration will include two through lanes in each direction along with dedicated left turn lanes at the intersection. Also, a dedicated right turn lane is included along northbound Elm Place for right turns onto eastbound New Orleans Street.
The proposed improvements include replacement of the interior intersection with a decorative full-depth concrete pavement using colored/patterned concrete and pavers. The color scheme will be determined at a later time, city officials said.
The existing asphalt pavement beyond the intersection will be milled and overlaid extending approximately 400 feet in each direction from the center of the intersection.
Beautification amenities, such as decorative plantings and shade trees, improved lighting, wider sidewalks, traffic signal upgrades, and enhanced crosswalks are included in the improvements.
Landscaping will be planted in the area including new trees, hedges, flowers, and plants in the median. The plants that will be selected won’t require a lot of water and will be able to withstand traffic and debris.
Gateways will also be installed to alert the public it is traveling into New Orleans Square.
Larger gateway signs will be placed in the medians facing traffic coming from the west and south. Smaller signs will be located along the side of the roadways in each direction.
Construction is expected to start at the beginning of June after the construction contract has been put out for bid and awarded.
The street project will be paid for with 2018 GO Bond money, the street sales tax, the street light fund and ARPA funds.
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