Last Updated on June 21, 2023, 8:19 PM | Published: June 21, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — Three districts in the core of the Oklahoma City metro are beginning to see the outcome of streetscape projects that make them safer for bikes and walkers and add to their unique charm.
Here is the latest information on three core city districts where significant streetscape work has gone on over the last several years and is in the final stages of completion all paid for by the temporary tax portion of the City of Oklahoma City Better Streets, Safer City program that concluded in March of 2020.
The Paseo
The most obvious work still being done is in The Paseo near NW 30th and Walker where excavation equipment and concrete trucks are a usual sight at the present.
The quirky Spanish-style buildings along a unique curved street has given The Paseo a particular charm in recent years with the addition of a number of art galleries and restaurants.
It is a significant transformation from its earliest years as a then-suburban shopping spot, and then, in the 1960s as a drug/hippie-culture haven.
According to Shannon Cox with the Public Works Department at the City of Oklahoma City, streetscape improvements in and around The Paseo started recently on May 30.
Primary improvements scheduled are to make sidewalks and streets fully ADA compliant plus replacing and repairing crumbling sidewalks and streets. Lighting in the characteristically dim district is to be improved along with other improvements to promote pedestrian safety.
The improvements are scheduled to be complete by that district’s Arts Festival on Memorial Day weekend of 2024.
The budget for the improvements in The Paseo is $3.3 million.
‘The Strip’ 39th Street District
The corridor along NW 39th Street between N. Pennsylvania Avenue and N. Youngs Boulevard locally known as “The Strip” and officially as the 39th Street District is nationally known as a safe place for LGBTQ+ culture to thrive.
Still the site of one of the two Pride parades each year, the district for many years was the only place for the yearly Pride Parade.
Streetscape work to convert a four-lane street into a safer two-lane street with reverse angle parking and wider sidewalks plus benches and unique amenities to the district was completed by May 31 of 2022. The only thing remaining is some signage and markers identifying the district that are still in the design phase.
The budget for The Strip streetscape was around $2 million.
Plaza District
The Plaza District has been a thriving community of small businesses and artistic endeavors over the years. The district is a natural place for comfortable foot traffic since it has always been centered around a two-lane street with wide sidewalks between N. Indiana and N. Blackwelder Avenues on NW 16th.
However, pedestrian crossing safety and ADA compliance were still challenges that have been improved upon as streetscape work is being added. Better identification of pedestrian crosswalks with ADA compliant curb cuts and attention-getting signage have made crossing the street less dangerous than before. Completion is estimated to be by September 30.
The budget for the work in The Plaza is $460,000.
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Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
