The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
The Tulsa River Parks Authority approved an agreement today that would allow the City of Tulsa, River Parks and the Gathering Place to move forward in partnership with the construction of an iconic pedestrian bridge over the Arkansas River.
Beginning in March 2017, the City initiated a public process to collect conceptual bridge designs for a new Arkansas River Pedestrian Bridge as the original bridge could not be salvaged due to structural deficiencies. The City received 234 responses through the public process and The Gateway, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), emerged as the winner.
With an elegant and timeless design, The Gateway will serve as an iconic centerpiece along the Arkansas River and complement the neighboring Gathering Place. The arched bridge will be built with a steel plate fabrication system, which will make it the first bridge of its kind in the United States (rendering attached).
The agreement reached today ensures The Gateway will be constructed at a level that meets and exceeds the care and excellence that has been provided in the Gathering Place, while also providing clear mechanisms to fund additional amenities, including shade and seating, which Tulsans requested during the public feedback phase.
“The decision confirmed by the River Parks Authority today establishes the partnership that will build a world-class bridge spanning the Arkansas River to Tulsa’s very own riverfront park, the Gathering Place, for generations to come,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said.
The City of Tulsa recently entered into a new Master Lease Agreement with the River Parks Authority, which ensured a strong partnership between the three entities for the pedestrian bridge construction. Following the construction of the bridge, River Parks will assume the maintenance and operational needs for the bridge.
“This agreement seems like the most natural fit for River Parks to serve as a link between the City of Tulsa and the Gathering Place as we build a bridge that will be an iconic part of River Parks for years to come,” Matt Meyer, Executive Director of River Parks said.
This agreement also calls for work on the pedestrian bridge to be coordinated with the reconstruction of Zink Dam and the next phase of the Gathering Place.
“This agreement will allow the coordination, logistics and construction of the Arkansas River Pedestrian Bridge to be seamlessly integrated with the Gathering Place as we finish the large stone plaza landing area for the bridge and the north land extension including the Riverview Lawn – which will finish after completion of the pedestrian bridge, low water dam, island, flume and island area. This will allow for less duplication through the construction process,” Jeff Stava, Executive Director and Trustee of the Gathering Place said.
The City of Tulsa will provide $24.4 million in local funding and will leverage local funding for additional state, federal and private financial support to construct additional amenities for the bridge.
Following the public design process, the City has been working over the past year to review the complexities of the bridge design and determine the appropriate partner to lead the bridge’s design and construction. The partnership with River Parks and the Gathering Place was the clear choice for this important project.
With the agreement in place, demolition of the existing bridge, property acquisition and final design efforts will begin as soon as possible. Construction of the new pedestrian bridge is anticipated to be complete within three years.
