Lee
and Karen Duquette,
The Two RV Gypsies
at The 11th Street Bridge on Route 66
Southwest Blvd in Tulsa, OK
October 13, 2022
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The 11th Street Bridge was completed in December 1915
to carry vehicles across the Arkansas River at Tulsa, Oklahoma. Used
from 1916 to 1972, it was also a part of U.S. Route 66. Functionally,
it has been replaced by the
I-244 bridges across the Arkansas. At present, the bridge is in poor
structural condition and unsafe even for pedestrians. In 2008, the
gates were locked to exclude all visitors.
This bridge was added on December 13, 1996, to the
National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C. Its NRIS
number is 96001488. It was named the "Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial
Bridge" in 2004.
Although the bridge still stands, it is considered
unsafe for use and has been closed to vehicles since 1980 and to pedestrians
since 2008.
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Below: A skyway
with an observation deck took Lee and Karen Duquette from the visitors'
parking lot across Southwest Boulevard. |
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Below: Cyrus Avery Centennial
Plaza is located adjacent to the east entrance of the historic Bridge
in Tulsa, at the intersection of Southwest Boulevard and Riverside Drive.
See the old bridge and the new bridge in the photo below. |
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Below: Another short bridge
with interesting signs. But it just led to a dead-end. |
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Shame on the
person or people who put graffiti on the bridge. |
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The Cyrus Avery Centennial
Plaza includes a display of flags of the eight states which were served
by U.S. Route 66. It was completed in July 2008 and dedicated on August
7, 2008.
The plaza features a bronze sculpture, created by artist Robert Summers
titled "East Meets West". The sculpture is 14 feet long, 18
feet wide and 14 feet high. The sculpture depicts the Avery family riding
west in a Model T Ford auto meeting an eastbound horse-drawn carriage.
It weighs over 20,000 pounds and cost about $1.178 million.
In 2020, Avery Plaza Southwest is scheduled to open, at the west end
of the Bridge. Plans include replicas of three neon signs from Tulsa-area
motels from the era, being the Will Rogers Motor Court. Tulsa Auto Court,
and the Oil Capital Motel. |
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