Construction has begun on a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Oklahoma River.
The bridge, part of Oklahoma City’s MAPS 4 project, will connect the future OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark to the four-mile Greenway River Trail on the North Shore. The $5.7 million, 600-foot concrete and steel bridge will include lighting and is expected to be completed in about a year.
The south side of the bridge has access to the Oklahoma River Trail.
Inland vessels will be used to construct the footpath. On Tuesday, cranes and construction workers could be seen on the north shore preparing the bridge abutment.
The Greenway River Trail between the Boathouse District and Eastern Avenue will not be open to the public for approximately one year during construction of the MAPS 4 pedestrian bridge. The city will build a low-water dam upstream of the resort and pedestrian bridge. Construction on the dam, which will include a new dock for Oklahoma River Cruises, will begin this fall or winter.
More: A tight MAPS 4 budget could result in cuts to the Oklahoma River pedestrian bridge and plaza
In the meantime, construction work on the OKANA Resort continues. A 404-room, 11-story hotel is at the heart of the development, which will also include a 12,000-square-foot family entertainment center, a 39,000-square-foot conference center, a spa, a golf simulator and 36,000 square feet of retail. outlets and eateries.
As of May, the hotel’s roof has been fully completed and work on the exterior of the building is nearing completion. Portions of the 100,000-square-foot indoor water park are 45% to 75% complete.
The $400 million resort along the Oklahoma River is being built by the Chickasaw Nation as part of an agreement with the city of Oklahoma City to complete the adjacent First Americans Museum. It is expected to be ready in the spring of 2025.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKANA resort, water park updates: Oklahoma River bridge work begins
