A drive along Southwest Boulevard on a recent weekday revealed the fruits of many years of planning and collaboration between SW side residents and businesses and local government.

Cranes, concrete trucks, and other heavy equipment were busy on several construction sites along the Southwest Boulevard corridor. And dozens of workers were busy as bees. Not so apparent were the fingerprints of the Southwest Chamber, and more recently RedFork Main Street, which have been hands-on in their encouragement and promotion of these developments.

Across from Webster High School, construction activity is taking place on the site of the Red Fork Derrick. After five years of planning, the site is finally being prepared for installation of a circular drive and piers to support the 154-foot structure.

A few blocks away, demolition crews are steadily taking down the old buildings at Clinton Middle School, making way for the parking lot and bus lanes that will be built adjacent to the new school building. Planning for the project began in 2005, but the new facilities will be open when classes begin in August.

A little farther east, crews are finishing up a sidewalk fronting the new complex of offices and other buildings at the south side of the Sinclair Refinery. Still under construction, the new and remodeled buildings - featuring Sinclair green and white and the company's "dino" logo - are a welcome addition to the area.

Visible west across U.S. 75 is a bevy of crews rehabilitating the tracks in the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe's Cherokee Yard. Despite the work crews and gaggle of heavy equipment, trains still were pulling in and out of the largest rail yard in Oklahoma.

Near 17th Street, where crews recently finished a new building at Best Welding Supply, the new forensic sciences building at OSU Center for Health Sciences is rising from the ground.

The eventual five-story building will be used to house the OSU's forensic sciences program and the Tulsa Police Department crime labs.

The projects seen during two-mile drive up Southwest Boulevard represent both private and public investments worth millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, planning is ongoing for more progress in the area. Arkansas River development, more improvements showcasing the Southwest Boulevard leg of Historic Route 66, and refinery upgrades at both Sinclair and Holly (formerly Sun) refineries are on the drawing board.

Things are looking up along Southwest Boulevard - a good sign for the future health of all of Tulsa.