Commitment to fitness leads to new trail
Ten years ago, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett stood at the front of a news conference at the Oklahoma City Zoo to announce, “This city is going on a diet.” The proclamation drew national media attention and sparked a dieting frenzy that claimed more than a million pounds before it was finished.
As important as that resolution was on New Year’s Eve 2007, it was only the beginning wave of a growing sense of health awareness that has powered Oklahoma City’s drive to be more healthy and more active than ever before.
Cornett stood in front of news cameras again on Friday to dedicate the Will Rogers Trail, an $11.6 million commitment to health, fitness and safety in Oklahoma City.
The 8-mile urban pathway between Lake Hefner and the Oklahoma River is wide, smooth and inviting to anyone who is not driving a car, a truck, a motorcycle or a motor home.
It follows an unlikely route through the heart of northwest Oklahoma City, skirting some of the city’s busiest streets and highways, escorting bike riders and runners all along the way.
As dozens of cyclists watched near the trail’s southern entrance at May Avenue and the Oklahoma River, Cornett and others officially opened what is obviously the flagship of OKC’s growing trail system.
Cornett said he never realized that his 2007 diet proclamation eventually would lead to a multimillion-dollar trail system, but, the initiative began a community conversation about improving health and quality of life.
As a result, voters stepped up to approve nearly $40 million in funding for trails as part of the MAPS 3 initiative in 2008. Projects included construction of the West River Trail, connecting the Oklahoma River to Lake Overholser, the Will Rogers Trail and the Lake Draper Trail, which begins construction this month. Once complete, the city will have more than 100 miles of existing trail, with an additional $20 million in non-MAPS funding earmarked for future trail growth and enhancements.
The Will Rogers Trail was by far the most complicated and expensive segment of Oklahoma City’s system, said David Todd, program manager for MAPS 3.
While most of the city’s trails were built away from city streets with limited contact with traffic, much of the Will Rogers Trail is only a short distance from traffic, presenting challenges for designers, Todd said.
Beginning from an existing trail on the Oklahoma River’s north side, the Will Rogers Trail passes State Fair Park and proceeds north, along Interstate 44. At one point, engineers claimed one lane of Grand Avenue, closing a halfmile section to traffic and dedicating it to the trail.
The trail crosses more than 2,000 parcels of land. Much of it was city-owned land or easement, but other parcels had to be purchased, Todd said. The trail crosses several busy streets along the route, further adding to the array of engineering challenges.
From I-44, the trail turns west, along Northwest Expressway and then along NW 63 to Meridian Avenue, where it heads north about a half-mile to join an existing trail near Lake Hefner’s southern shore.
Along with runners and recreational cyclists, the trail is expected to be used heavily by people who use bicycles to commute to work and for basic transportation, Todd said.
The city broke ground in October 2016, and construction was completed in February 2018.
Cornett and others knew construction was going to be difficult, but in the end, the city overcame the challenges and came in almost $2 million under budget.
When he launched his campaign to encourage people to lose weight and get moving a decade ago, Cornett said he didn’t realize the city lacked the sidewalks and trails that active people needed, but the community has responded, and the city has come a long way.
“I would venture to say that we have come farther, faster than any other city in the country,” he said. “And, we did it all by paying attention to quality of life.”
Chip Minty is a lifelong cyclist, writer and owner of Minty Communications LLC, a Normanbased public relations and marketing firm. He can be reached at chipminty1961@gmail.com.