Final plan for New Orleans Square revitalization project approved

By John Dobberstein, Editor

The Broken Arrow City Council approved the final plan Tuesday to rebuild the intersection of Elm Place and W. New Orleans Street as redevelopment efforts begin for New Orleans Square.

With Tuesday’s approval, and bid proposals going on Tuesday as well, the plan is for city councilors to award the bid in May and begin construction in June. 

The total project length is slated for 300 days. But the city’s transportation manager, Travis Small, said the city will push contractors to get the roadwork portion done by Nov. 30 before the Christmas shopping season starts.

The goal is to have the entire project with the landscaping, gateway structures and other items “substantially complete” by March 30 of next year. They expect to run into supply chain delays upgrading the traffic signal and lighting.

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 north bound Elm Place for right turns onto east bound New Orleans Street.

The project includes:

* Decorative concrete intersection

* Asphalt mill and overlay

* Approximately 2,400 feet of 12-inch waterline and 2,200 feet of 5-foot sidewalk, plus 600 feet of 10-foot trail

*Landscaping, irrigation and hardscaping

* Gateways, streetlighting and a new traffic signal

Small noted that construction will be done one corner at a time over 8 months, and only one lane each way will be open, which will impact school traffic. No left turns will be permitted during the road construction.

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