Federal Grant Boosts Tulsa MetroLink To Build Route 66 Bus Stations, Speed Up Service

The Biden Administration awarded Tulsa a $12.7 million grant for a Route 66 Bus Rapid Transit Line. The grant completes funding needed to start construction, with the City of Tulsa supplying $3.1 million for the required 20% local match for transportation grants.

Scott Marr, the CEO of MetroLink, formerly Tulsa Transit, said the upgraded line would replace the existing Route 140, with “better service, better frequency, every 20 minutes, similar to what we do on our other BRT, on Peoria.”

Marr said Metrolink had 195,000 rides last month, and expected an increase during the summer when all rides are $1 between July 2 and August 30th.

The Route 66 BRT will connect downtown with Eastgate Metroplex at 145th East Avenue, running mostly along 11th Street.

“Our current BRT is one-third of our ridership, so we anticipate when the new stations are built, we'll see that our ridership on 11th continues to grow, just as it did on Peoria.”

The new line will have 44 stops, with elevated platforms and sidewalks leading to them for level boarding. Marr said he hoped it could be built in time for the Centennial of Route 66 in June 2026.