New traffic signals are running at East Mohawk Boulevard and North Peoria Avenue after Mayor Monroe Nichols and District 1 Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper cut the ribbon Sept. 4.

The signals mark the latest completed piece of the Peoria Connection Project, a Vision Tulsa-funded effort to revitalize the North Peoria Avenue corridor between 56th Street North and Mohawk Boulevard. Tulsa voters approved Vision Tulsa funding in 2016. KJRH reported the overall project carries a $7 million price tag.

The city contracted with TLS Group Inc. for the $677,000 signal installation, according to a city press release. Construction began May 18.

The intersection sits near the Gilcrease Expressway, and one resident told KJRH the spot had long been a trouble point. "That intersection was always congested," the resident said. "It was tough turn over there."

City officials told KJRH the upgrades improve safety and traffic flow while encouraging new business investment in North Tulsa. The North Tulsa Economic Development Initiative, known as NTEDi, co-hosted the ribbon-cutting with the city, according to a separate city announcement.

The traffic signals are one piece of a broader corridor overhaul. Other completed or planned Peoria Connection work includes new trees along Peoria Avenue between Mohawk Boulevard and 56th Street North, installed in partnership with Up With Trees.

New streetlight poles went up along the corridor through a partnership with Public Service Company of Oklahoma. A storm sewer project on the east side of Peoria Avenue at 52nd Street North is also part of the initiative. Decorative streetlight poles with banners are still in the planning stage.

Separate funding sources are paying for street rehabilitation projects between 36th Street North and 46th Street North and between 46th Street North and 56th Street North, along with sidewalk projects to fill gaps along the corridor.

The Peoria Avenue corridor is also home to MetroLink Tulsa's Aero bus rapid transit line, funded through the same 2016 Vision Tulsa sales tax measure. Scott Marr, MetroLink Tulsa's general manager, said in an April interview with Mass Transit magazine that "the city wanted to see Peoria really grow with the amount of economic development that they had planned …"

Not everyone at the ribbon-cutting was satisfied. One North Tulsa resident told KJRH the corridor still has a long way to go. "We want more than just lights," the resident said. "We want our place to look just as good as anywhere else."

The city has not announced a timeline for the remaining work. Residents can contact NTEDi or the Tulsa Planning Office for updates on the corridor.