OKC plans pedestrian bridge across Oklahoma River

Bridge planned beside Interstate 35

Oklahoma City plans to build a pedestrian bridge across the Oklahoma River as the Oklahoma Department of Transportation replaces the Interstate 35 bridges over the river. Mayor David Holt announced the project and released its first rendering.

The purpose-built bridge will sit next to the highway crossing and give pedestrians a way to travel between the two sides of the river. ODOT, the City of Oklahoma City and the U.S. Department of Transportation are providing financial support. Holt said the work is expected to unfold over the next two years.

Connection to the race course

The pedestrian bridge is planned for a location just beyond the finish line of the river’s paddlesport course. In addition to serving as a river crossing, it is intended to provide a viewing point toward the Oklahoma City skyline for people attending paddlesport events.

Holt said the project is also designed to improve the appearance of the river area and add an amenity for the race course. The pedestrian crossing will be built as part of the broader work connected to ODOT’s replacement of the I-35 river bridges.

Funding and construction

Three levels of government are supporting the pedestrian bridge: the state transportation department, Oklahoma City and the federal transportation department. The announcement did not divide the project’s cost among those entities.

The bridge project and the I-35 bridge replacements are connected, making ODOT’s construction schedule a key part of the process. The first rendering shows the planned concept, while subsequent project steps will determine how construction proceeds along the river and near the race course.