new master plan update from the april 24 Riverfront Redevelopment Authority ... lighted basketball courts and sand volleyball courts are coming to the river and added to the "blue zone" .. is a jr ropes course and zip line ..

USA Canoe/Kayak Olympic Trials Friday night and saturday morning. The winner of the men's and the women or the woman's K1 (single person) is going to the Olympics. Anyone interest can park and watch for free.

new master plan update from the april 24 Riverfront Redevelopment Authority ... lighted basketball courts and sand volleyball courts are coming to the river and added to the "blue zone" .. is a jr ropes course and zip line ..

I love the diversity of options that'll be there!

From riversportokc.org

2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials • Canoe/Kayak takes place on the Oklahoma River, April 20-21. Join us in the Boathouse District Friday, 5-7p, for the 200m and 500m Finals! Athletes will also be competing for berths on the USA Canoe/Kayak 2012 National Team and Paracanoe National Team. Racing will continue Saturday morning, with a special Paddle Now! event for youth featuring an athlete autograph session at 11a and the opportunity to paddle with an elite athlete in a team boat, 12-2p. We hope to see you there! [more on OlympicTrialsOKC.org] Watch the live coverage on Universal Sports.

new master plan update from the april 24 Riverfront Redevelopment Authority ... lighted basketball courts and sand volleyball courts are coming to the river and added to the "blue zone" .. is a jr ropes course and zip line ..
Very cool!

Here are some images from the updated master plan:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012c.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012d.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012e.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012f.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012e.jpg

They apparently have not been looking at ODOT's plans, a street is planed to go over the north third (if not half) of this bike track to connect the boulevard to 5th.

I'm not sure if this story works better here or in sports but I'm putting in here for now. There was a very well done video segment on KFOR sports tonight about this same human interest story. There are actually two Cubans here now even though only one is mentioned here. The video in this link is not really related but hopefully the one from KFOR will show up on their website.

http://newsok.com/cuban-kayaker-escapes-to-oklahoma/article/3552184

Here is the video I referred to.

http://kfor.com/2012/04/20/kayaking-for-freedom/

^ Great story. On another subject could someone post some sort of timeline of dates for this whole project?

Ray Ackerman statue is coming.

http://newsok.com/statue-unveiling-will-honor-ray-ackermans-advocacy-of-the-oklahoma-river/article/3667324

An update on this.

http://newsok.com/old-man-river-honored-with-statue-along-oklahoma-river/article/3668257

UCO's boathouse isn't named on those plans. There's a TBD boathouse. Dd it fall through?

UCO's boathouse isn't named on those plans. There's a TBD boathouse. Dd it fall through?

The CHK Central Boathouse is the UCO Boathouse.

The CHK Central Boathouse is the UCO Boathouse.

That's right. My bad. It even says it there. Sorry I was looking on my phone and missed it. Carry on.

These plans look awesome! They're doing a great job with the master plan.

These plans look awesome! They're doing a great job with the master plan.

Agreed.

More:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112c.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112d.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112e.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112f.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112g.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112h.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112i.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112j.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112k.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42112l.jpg

Any idea when that bike pump track is going to be complete? That would be AWESOME!!

Any idea when that bike pump track is going to be complete? That would be AWESOME!!

They have not included it in the things they hope to start in the next year. Plus it will have to be a different shape if it is located there, while I am not sure if the street going across the drawing is paved yet, it was graded months ago. They still have plenty of other options if they decide it will not fit in that area.

They have not included it in the things they hope to start in the next year. Plus it will have to be a different shape if it is located there, while I am not sure if the street going across the drawing is paved yet, it was graded months ago. They still have plenty of other options if they decide it will not fit in that area.

I don't think its set in stone yet what they will do with 5th st. The river master plan would ultimately determine if it needs to connect to Lincoln or not. Its interesting how the vehicle access map conflicts with the master plan.

I don't think its set in stone yet what they will do with 5th st. The river master plan would ultimately determine if it needs to connect to Lincoln or not. Its interesting how the vehicle access map conflicts with the master plan.

I thought the road was a federal obligation and it already has had work put in on it.

I thought the road was a federal obligation and it already has had work put in on it.

Are we talking about the same thing? There is going to be an on-ramp going to I-40 from the boulevard and this same ramp branches off and connects to Lincoln. They did leave an opening in the curbs and graded the potential interesection where 5th st could go in.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012a.jpg

5th street as of right now doesn't lead anywhere so I don't see it as being a federal issue. If there's going to be a lot of development in the future on the eastern part this area then it probably be a good idea to restore 5th st.

Are we talking about the same thing? There is going to be an on-ramp going to I-40 from the boulevard and this same ramp branches off and connects to Lincoln. They did leave an opening in the curbs and graded the potential interesection where 5th st could go in.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012a.jpg

5th street as of right now doesn't lead anywhere so I don't see it as being a federal issue. If there's going to be a lot of development in the future on the eastern part this area then it probably be a good idea to restore 5th st.

If any federal money went into doing the grading or other associated work then they would have required it be paved.

The little area north of the white water facility seems like a good area for strictly private mixed-use development, which may help enhance the connections between Boathose Row and other parts of downtown.

The little area north of the white water facility seems like a good area for strictly private mixed-use development, which may help enhance the connections between Boathose Row and other parts of downtown.

i know they would like a hotel in this area ... but i'm sure that is a ways away ..

the boat house foundation as now applied to be the first senior center partner .. their plan is in this weeks wellness center agenda ..

That is interesting...earlier reports had said that just the Y and the City/County Health Dept had applied (but I think both said that the "free" building wasn't enough, that they would need further subsidies)

Any idea when that bike pump track is going to be complete? That would be AWESOME!!

Seconded. Would convince me to buy a mountain bike.

the boat house foundation as now applied to be the first senior center partner .. their plan is in this weeks wellness center agenda ..

Shocker

Are we talking about the same thing? There is going to be an on-ramp going to I-40 from the boulevard and this same ramp branches off and connects to Lincoln. They did leave an opening in the curbs and graded the potential interesection where 5th st could go in.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/boathouse42012a.jpg

5th street as of right now doesn't lead anywhere so I don't see it as being a federal issue. If there's going to be a lot of development in the future on the eastern part this area then it probably be a good idea to restore 5th st.

Since I am over there every weekday I checked and the road and sidewalks have already been paved, it just still has the temporary concrete barriers blocking off access.

This will be another great option in metro area... I'm sure you know, but there are a lot of other great mountain mountain biking trails around the metro.

I'm sorry, but all this boathouse stuff is just... awesome! I've been involved down there over the years, and I had started to think I had gotten all excited for nothing, but with the work that has been done over the last two years, and these plans seemingly coming to fruition, I am just extremely proud of what's going on in OKC. Even if I never dip another oar in the water myself, this is really incredible!

This will be another great option in metro area... I'm sure you know, but there are a lot of other great mountain mountain biking trails around the metro.

Yeah, I go to them quite often actually. I just bought a mountain bike last summer and I'm completely addicted! WAY BETTER THAN RUNNING!!! Haha. It would be awesome to see this pump track built just to have another option. I bet it'll get a lot of use once people catch on....

Yeah, I go to them quite often actually. I just bought a mountain bike last summer and I'm completely addicted! WAY BETTER THAN RUNNING!!! Haha. It would be awesome to see this pump track built just to have another option. I bet it'll get a lot of use once people catch on....

What are the other mtb trails in the area? I know Thunderbird has some, but past that,I'm clueless. I ride the road, but have kicked around getting an MTB a few times.

What are the other mtb trails in the area? I know Thunderbird has some, but past that,I'm clueless. I ride the road, but have kicked around getting an MTB a few times.

In OKC by Hefner & Draper lakes, I think there is one in or near Edmond too.

In OKC by Hefner & Draper lakes, I think there is one in or near Edmond too.

Yes, Hefner, Draper and Arcadia.

More info: http://okearthbike.com/index.php

There are a lot of events around Oklahoma too once you get into mountain biking. There are multiple races around the year. People that compete start from the super serious to the people who are there just for fun.

I don't know if this has been posted here yet, but I was poking around this site today ( http://www.okasla.org/Pages/centralstatesawards.html ) and found this:
http://www.okasla.org/Graphics/Central%20States%20Awards/siteplan.jpg

Nice find, obviously two of those hotels are already built and I believe a third was approved some months ago by the Riverfront Design Committee (?)

There's already the trail; that will be nice if they terrace the riverfront like that. The only negative I can see is that it would take away the natural growth on that bank; that stretch is the most densely vegetated in the city proper.

Here are some aerials:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/meridianriver1.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/meridianriver2.jpg

That's actually pretty cool.

...I believe a third was approved some months ago by the Riverfront Design Committee...

Would you or anyone else happen to know when construction will start on it if it indeed was approved?

This project looks great but it's in an area that no one ever sees really. When is something like this going to happen along an area of the river closer to downtown/boathouses?

Obviously from those pics any concern about the loss of natural vegetation due to landscaping along the South bank of the river in that area is overblown. The North bank is heavily vegetated but not the South bank.
And that is not in an area that is never seen. Besides being in busy Meridian hotel zone it is a terminus for the river cruises.

Obviously from those pics any concern about the loss of natural vegetation due to landscaping along the South bank of the river in that area is overblown. The North bank is heavily vegetated but not the South bank.

I was just referring to the maturity or lack thereof of the trees. Take the Civic Center redesign for example, it'll still be nicely landscaped but obviously won't be the same without 70+ year old trees.

I was just referring to the maturity or lack thereof of the trees. Take the Civic Center redesign for example, it'll still be nicely landscaped but obviously won't be the same without 70+ year old trees.

I understand you point but there are relatively few mature trees on that side of the river. The landscaping should be an improvement in this case versus the Civic Center where it is not.

Man that is a lot of parking!

:mad:

There may be times when the hotels utilize much of that parking. If you're referring to the parking at the riverboat landing that's iffy if it will ever be close to full.

There may be times when the hotels utilize much of that parking. If you're referring to the parking at the riverboat landing that's iffy if it will ever be close to full.

There's never enough parking during both the annual Oklahoma River Christmas Parade and the annual Oklahoma Regatta Festival at the Regatta Landing -- it always overflows into the grass almost all the way to I-35. It seems like the Regatta Landing's parking is close to full at several other events which I've attended. If you're talking about the Meridian or Exchange Landings, I'm pretty sure there will always be plenty of parking at the Exchange Landing. For the Meridian Landing, I don't know about its parking since I haven't parked there when I've walked the river.

For seniors, like myself (I'm 63 and retired), the Oklahoma River is great for walking or bicycling. I hope one of our senior aquatic centers can be located at the boathouse district & we get a trolley or bus connection to the senior wellness center. Our Oklahoma River boathouse district is one of the great new features of Oklahoma City & by connecting it to our free trolley or our new trolley on tracks, we can show it off to our OKC visitors. Hopefully, we can connect the boathouse area to the OKC Canal (statues area) by a dedicated pedestrian walkway and (perhaps) by car or boat or trolley. I got my shoes wet when I last walked underneath the new Crosstown Expressway (about 2 weeks ago). Now that there's traffic flowing, I can't walk over Interstate 40 anymore!

Update: I just read the posts on the previous page & discovered you were talking about the Meridian Landing. I will plan to walk there this week & make a more educated comment about that area. I should have read those posts first, since you were talking about existing/future hotels & I didn't know of any hotels planned in the Regatta Landing area.

For seniors, like myself (I'm 63 and retired), the Oklahoma River is great for walking or bicycling. I hope one of our senior aquatic centers can be located at the boathouse district & we get a trolley or bus connection to the senior wellness center. Our Oklahoma River boathouse district is one of the great new features of Oklahoma City & by connecting it to our free trolley or our new trolley on tracks, we can show it off to our OKC visitors. Hopefully, we can connect the boathouse area to the OKC Canal (statues area) by a dedicated pedestrian walkway and (perhaps) by car or boat or trolley. I got my shoes wet when I last walked underneath the new Crosstown Expressway (about 2 weeks ago). Now that there's traffic flowing, I can't walk over Interstate 40 anymore!

I see the trolley go to the boathouse daily. The schedule online is not pulling up but on the map lists that leg as variable time, if that is consistent with other lines it will only makes a run there after skipping it at least once.

The pedestrian walkways & waterway between the lower canal and Regatta park is funded at this point but is just reaching the end of the design phase.

Update: I just read the posts on the previous page & discovered you were talking about the Meridian Landing. I will plan to walk there this week & make a more educated comment about that area. I should have read those posts first, since you were talking about existing/future hotels & I didn't know of any hotels planned in the Regatta Landing area.

You're correct. That area is what we were discussing. I have parked there when taking the river cruise and there were only a few cars there. It could be busier at times but I suspect that most people taking the river cruises originate downtown.

Another visual or two for how I hope we can eventually develop the river. Cantilever over the river bank to create a great riverwalk experience.

http://media.nj.com/nj_off-road_biking/photo/8175753-large.jpg

http://advance.uconn.edu/2005/050411/images/cantalever300.jpg

Great idea, create open space and hide the erosion control rocks.

That is what I was thinking. It would also create an immediate "observation deck" for all the races.

Well, I'd hope that anyone would be able to walk it... :cool:

I do agree we definitely need something unique that captures the imagination and attracts people to INTERACT with it. Not a bland Oklahoma themed sculpture we think someone will put in their photo album. We need something very unique that is awe-inspiring, creative, etc. I don't know what that is. I can't provide any ideas. But we need something that people flock to; because it's out of this world, it's weird, it's fascinating, it's inspiring, it's unique, it's strange, it's unreal, it's interactive, it's ________. We don't have any thing like that. We have public art here....but not "art". Art asks more questions than it answers, and we need at least one piece that people will flock to because it truly is those things I mentioned earlier in this post.

#8 boathouse really should be OSU...

There is an area on the Oklahoma River between Exchange Avenue & Western Avenue Bridges where there is an abandoned trestle (train crossing) which could be converted into a fishing bridge. A project of this magnitude could probably be completed with less than one million dollars in funding since the structure is still standing and in place.

This area can be reached by crossing south on Exchange Avenue Bridge turning left at S. W. 8th Street; it is near the Boardman.

Tulsa has an area crossing the Arkansas River near Riverside; this is a fishing bridge on the river port of the Arkansas River:

Arkansas River Pedestrian Bridge | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadhunter/4101372/)

This would make an idea fishing bridge and add some additional activities to the Oklahoma River.

What are your thoughts?

#8 boathouse really should be OSU...

Wouldn't the fishing bridge constitute the OSU boathouse? Oo

Wouldn't the fishing bridge constitute the OSU boathouse? Oo

Oh crap, you're gonna start a flame war.......

There is an area on the Oklahoma River between Exchange Avenue & Western Avenue Bridges where there is an abandoned trestle (train crossing) which could be converted into a fishing bridge. A project of this magnitude could probably be completed with less than one million dollars in funding since the structure is still standing and in place.

This area can be reached by crossing south on Exchange Avenue Bridge turning left at S. W. 8th Street; it is near the Boardman.

Tulsa has an area crossing the Arkansas River near Riverside; this is a fishing bridge on the river port of the Arkansas River:

Arkansas River Pedestrian Bridge | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadhunter/4101372/)

This would make an idea fishing bridge and add some additional activities to the Oklahoma River.

What are your thoughts?

I was going to hit this up ealier. We've already talked about how to turn that old bridge into a pedestrian crossing of some sort, but you have to know that it's not the same type of bridge that Tulsa has over the Arkansas. The bridge up in T-town is a truss bridge where they ties ran up over the top of the truss supports. When the bridge was long retired and implemented into the river trails system there, they decked the bottom of the truss to form the walkways and such so you're actually walking through the truss where the trains used to run over the top.

The rinky dinky bridge over the Oklahoma River is (conferring with a link from Google...) a deck beam bridge with no outside walls.

Bridge Basics - A Spotter's Guide to Bridge Design (http://pghbridges.com/basics.htm)

But I do agree...that it needs to have some kind of foot/bicycle traffic on it connecting the riversides.

I was going to hit this up ealier. We've already talked about how to turn that old bridge into a pedestrian crossing of some sort, but you have to know that it's not the same type of bridge that Tulsa has over the Arkansas. The bridge up in T-town is a truss bridge where they ties ran up over the top of the truss supports. When the bridge was long retired and implemented into the river trails system there, they decked the bottom of the truss to form the walkways and such so you're actually walking through the truss where the trains used to run over the top.

The rinky dinky bridge over the Oklahoma River is (conferring with a link from Google...) a deck beam bridge with no outside walls.

Bridge Basics - A Spotter's Guide to Bridge Design (http://pghbridges.com/basics.htm)

But I do agree...that it needs to have some kind of foot/bicycle traffic on it connecting the riversides.

OKCisOK4me, you seem to be somewhat knowledgeable about bridges especially the one in Tulsa. As I recall, I do remember seeing where the tracks were at the roof of the fishing bridge in Tulsa. Do we have a sound enough structure in that old train crossing bridge between Western & Exchange Avenues to do something similar to what was done it T-town?

It looks like the bridge is made of iron beams so, even as the old beams on the old Crosstown were still in good condition, I'm sure the ex railroad bridge is in a fine enough condition to put humans and light weight traffic on it.

I recently saw a program on Modern Marvels about the railroad that went to Key West, when the old bridges were purchased by the state of Florida, they put a wider surface on top of the spans to accommodate 2-way automobile traffic. Same could be done for our bridge, just retrofit it with a wood surface deck and rails (retaining rails for safety) for 2-way pedestrian traffic.

Oh, and on a personal note, my Grandpa would take me to that bridge every visit I got up to Tulsa when I was a kid cause A) I'm a train buff and B) it was a fun thing to do with Grandpa. It's an amazing piece of work. If you get the time you should go up there and check it out.

The rinky dinky bridge over the Oklahoma River is (conferring with a link from Google...) a deck beam bridge with no outside walls.

It may not be an elaborate bridge but the beams below the deck have enough load capacity to support nearly any type of deck with parapets built over top we would want for a pedestrian bridge.