Does anyone know if they plan to put pylons at the places where the path intersects a street? I ask for two reasons - one being that other trails have them in places, and the other being that Friday evening I saw a car enter the new path next to Will Rogers Park and drive on it.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Anyone have any ideas when the trail will be opened to the public officially?
There will be an official ribbon cutting for this trail at 2 p.m. Friday, March 2nd.
The location will be the southern trailhead at SW 5th & May; the new parking area and link to the River Trail.
I believe the entire route is now finished.
Well.... except I still don't see bollards to prevent small cars from driving on the trails and such.....
I work near Will Rogers Park itself and was driving around it last week and didn't see bollards, but maybe they'll be in by the March ribbon cutting.
They have been out all week working between 16th and Will Rogers Park. I have noticed them putting up some final fence panels that were missing, striping, and installing bollards. The bollards are the last thing to go in after stripes are applied. There has also been a separate contractor out painting new crosswalks at the street crossings.
Cool thanks
Maybe they will be nice bollards so OKC can have some nice things.
Official ribbon cutting is tomorrow at 2PM on the south end of the trail. https://www.facebook.com/events/1124378151032283/
Press release from the City:
********
Will Rogers Trail opens in northwest OKC, connecting Lake Hefner to Oklahoma River
Oklahoma City’s first neighborhood trail opened Friday as civic leaders cut the ribbon on MAPS 3’s Will Rogers Trail.
“Building a city that gives residents a safe place to run and ride their bikes is a priority of the City Council, and today gets us 8 miles closer to that goal,” said Mayor Mick Cornett. “I’d like to thank all the businesses and neighborhoods along the trail for their support. The trail will prove to be a source of pride and an invaluable investment in our residents’ health.”
Cornett was joined by Ward 1 Councilman John Greiner, MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board Chairman Tom McDaniel and other civic leaders as they opened the trail during a ceremony along May Avenue near SW 5th Street.
The Will Rogers Trail’s north trailhead includes a parking lot at Meridian and Northwest Expressway just south of Lake Hefner. Heading southeast, the protected trail generally follows the Northwest Expressway to the Lake Hefner Parkway. A crosswalk gets pedestrian and cyclists across NW Expressway safely.
The trail follows Interstate 44 south as it wraps around the north side of State Fair Park, then turns south following May Avenue to the south trailhead on the Oklahoma River Trail system.
All but two blocks of the 8.1-mile urban asphalt trail are protected.
The debt-free project finished nearly $2 million under budget with a final cost of $11.6 million. The trail, the second of three MAPS 3 Trails, connects thousands of residents, workers, shoppers and visitors in the neighborhoods, businesses, hotels and more along its route within the growing Oklahoma City trails system.
The ADA-compliant, multi-use trail is designed for two-way traffic.
The project engineers are MKEC Engineering, MacArthur Associated Consultants and Johnson and Associates. Rudy Construction is the contractor.
The 7.5-mile West River Trail was finished in 2015 and was the first of the three MAPS 3 Trails to be completed. Construction begins soon on the 13-mile Lake Draper Trail, the last trail included in the program.
About MAPS 3
MAPS 3 is a $777 million capital improvement program to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City. It is funded by a 1-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010 and ended in December 2017. MAPS 3 funds eight projects: Downtown Convention Center, Downtown Public Park, Modern Streetcar/Transit, Oklahoma River Improvements, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements, Senior Health and Wellness Centers, Trails and Sidewalks.
I was looking at the Maps wesbite for information on the 13-mile Lake Draper Trail. The website says there is an OKC Master Trail Plan. Can anyone link to a map or wesbite describing this master trail plan? Is the Lake Draper trail going to be linked to the river trails? Thanks!
Although not formally adopted, there is a group that is working on a Bike Master Plan.
As you can see below, there are tons of trails planned that are not currently funded.
To see a hi-res version, right click and open in a new tab.
I gave this a try on Saturday for a short run, fairly nice trail. Started at Will Rogers and went a mile and a half south and then back.
Felt a little weird basically paralleling the interstate though, so I'm not sure I'm going to get a lot of use out of it compared to going up to Hefner or down to the river.
The main value of this trail IMO is two-fold: 1) Allowing people on the NW side to access the river trails and downtown and/or go north to Lake Hefner; and 2) connecting Hefner with the river trails and Overholser to create one big loop for people who want to ride long distances in a relatively protected environment.
As a partially color-blind person It is nearly impossible for me to tell the difference between the routes on that map
Still very helpful! Thank you!
A waterstop and little park is being planned for this trail:
Great to hear. I LOVE the river trails and west river trail, but have always been troubled by the lack of drinking fountains along the paths (especially in this heat). Hope similar stations will be set up along the river trails and west trail.
Pete - Can you send me a press release or the announcement of the water stop? I'd like to share among local bike groups.
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