Even before the BOK Center officially opens on August 30th, performances had already been booked.  The Eagles will be the first act to perform in the new building on September 6th and a second date has also been added for November 11th.  Just announced today, August 28th, Janet Jackson will be coming to Tulsa on October 26th for her Rock Witchu tour.

The BOK is 565,000 square-feet and will play host to a wide variety of events, including preseason NBA basketball featuring the new Oklahoma City team, men’s college basketball, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey circus, and Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco.  Also already booked are musical performances with local ties.  American Idol winner and Checotah native, Carrie Underwood is scheduled to perform on October 29th and American Idol season 10 winner David Cook, who lived and worked in Tulsa, will be there September 13 along with the rest of the top 10 contestants from that season.

For information about upcoming events and tickets, go to the BOK Center website.

We are all too familiar here in Tulsa, Oklahoma with street and general construction around the city. It seems as soon as crews finish one section of a project they immediately move the cones and begin construction on the next section. Honestly, this is what we expect. These are our tax dollars at work! If you ask around, I’m sure you will hear, “There is too much construction in Tulsa, Oklahoma.” However, if you think about it doesn’t this mean our city is being reconstructed to support its ever-increasing growth?

Most of the roads here are decades old and getting them a face lift is not cheap. The road progression is a monetary figure that is way outside of any of our natural comprehension; but we can at least see the progress.

Highway 51 (Broken Arrow Expressway) is all sorts of cut-up heading into Downtown Tulsa. I’m not sure exactly what they’re doing but they’re doing something. I’m pretty sure its needed whatever it is. The water tends to collect pretty bad west bound around 21st and 15th street exits. At least its getting repaired and brought into better shape right? Been downtown lately? The construction process down there is going very well. Main street is fully finished and the Boston Avenue construction too!

Current Tulsa Metro Construction Projects:

• I-244 – Tulsa Co. – Bridge repair over Ark. River. Summer ‘08. Gibson & Assoc. $1.1 million.
• US-75 / SH-51 – Tulsa Co. – Bridge painting & repair on US-75 over Polecat Creek & on SH-51 over 21st St. S. Summer ‘08. Seminole Equipment (paint) & Gibson & Assoc. (repair). $1.2 million.
• US-75 – Tulsa Co. – Resurface southbound lanes from 56th St. N. to I-244. Fall ‘08. Becco Contr. $1.7 million.
• US-169 – Tulsa Co. – Cable barrier from 36th St. N. ext. no. to ½-mi. no. of 56th St. N. Summer ‘08. Action Safety. $600,000.
• US-75 – Tulsa Co. – Cable barrier from 81st St. S. ext. no. to I-244. Summer ‘08. Action Safety. $800,000.
• SH-20 – Tulsa Co. – Replace bridge 1/10-mi. west of US-169 at Black Jack Creek in Collinsville. Spring ‘08. Sherwood Const. $2.2 million. Local detour onto city streets
• SH-66 – Creek Co. – Surface & bridge work from SH-117 ext. east 1.5 mi. to SH-97. Widening to 4 lanes & bridge reconst. over Rock Creek & overflows. Summer ‘09. Becco Contr. $9 million. Detour westbound: SH-97 so. to SH-117, then west to SH-66. Detour eastbound: SH-117 east to SH-97, then no. to SH-66

If you add it up, there is a lot of money being spent on road repairs — which likely will be around for quite some time. Make the best of it, slow down, move over, and let the crews feel a little less anxious as to being hit by a speeding car or over-sized vehicle rubbing shoulders with them.

If you want to see more details including a map of the construction around the city as well as Oklahoma as a whole visit www.okladot.state.ok.us.

Tulsa’s new BOK Center just booked its first college basketball game. TU and OU battle with the ball on December 6, 2008.