What To Do This Weekend as Construction Starts in Sapulpa

Project “ReDewey” as it is officially known has kicked off. Construction crews began barricading off the streets yesterday morning but had to wait for the parked cars to clear out today before they could really begin making moves. Downtown Sapulpa will begin to take on a different form as heavy machinery begins arriving and the streetscape gets a different look.

Downtown businesses are obviously concerned about the lack of Route 66 travelers over the next 198 days, but several organizations are banding together with the City of Sapulpa to put forth their best efforts to support our local businesses during construction.

Sapulpa Main Street has announced a “Construction Crawl” later this month that they hope will bring a big group of shoppers out to support the different retail and eating options downtown. Members of the City of Sapulpa, Sapulpa Chamber, Sapulpa Times and the Route 66 Christmas Chute are all expected to appear, but the event is open to the public and “construction kits” are on sale now.

Opportunities in the midst of challenges

It’s not all gloom and doom amid the major construction happening in downtown Sapulpa. While most may want the project to hurry along and get completed, others are anticipating a boost from one of the biggest benefits of the project: construction workers.

The City of Sapulpa has said that between Project ReDewey and the construction of the new high school happening just down the street, somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 construction crew members could be in Sapulpa. And when that lunchtime bell sounds, they’ll be looking for somewhere to eat.

Several of the restaurants are planning to accommodate them with specials and discounts that may only be available to the construction crews. At least one person is going through the motions to bring an actual “Food Court”—that is, a temporary stop for food trucks—to make it easier on everyone to find a place to eat during the construction. We’ll have more information for you on that soon.