Zink Dam Rehabilitation Project

[patric]

Follow the money.  There is money to be made both in destroying the Pedestrian Bridge and building a new one.

They engineered the necessity to replace it.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/its-too-late-to-save-tulsas-old-pedestrian-bridge-engineer-says/article_aec8205e-60b7-11eb-810a-5f5ebabf5ac5.html

[Arkansas Rio Gator]

They engineered the necessity to replace it.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/its-too-late-to-save-tulsas-old-pedestrian-bridge-engineer-says/article_aec8205e-60b7-11eb-810a-5f5ebabf5ac5.html

Well said, Patric and Arrow.

[buffalodan]

Kinda getting back to the dam side of this, has anybody seen a timeline for the construction. I know it is 2 years for the whole thing, but didn't know if they are anticipating having the dam done before the bridge, or what that would look like during phasing. I'm really curious what it looks like May-July this year as the river gets up and hope that by next may they are able to have it looking a bit more like a lake.

[SXSW]

Kinda getting back to the dam side of this, has anybody seen a timeline for the construction. I know it is 2 years for the whole thing, but didn't know if they are anticipating having the dam done before the bridge, or what that would look like during phasing. I'm really curious what it looks like May-July this year as the river gets up and hope that by next may they are able to have it looking a bit more like a lake.

Groundbreaking for the dam was in August.  The bridge hasn't started construction yet, waiting on permits from the Corps but should be very soon.  This is the only timeline I could find from a TW article in May; I would think the bridge is probably more like early 2023.  It would be nice to have them both completed before summer 2023 and the 5 year anniversary of the opening of the Gathering Place in September 2023.  The Children's Museum will be done in 2022 and the rest of Phase 2 south of 31st by early 2023 so just "Phase 3" along Crow Creek will be the last incomplete portion.

Zachary said he is hopeful that construction can begin in September and be completed in 2023. Work on the new pedestrian bridge over the Arkansas River is expected to begin at about the same time and be completed in late 2022.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/zink-dam-construction-bids-higher-than-expected-project-still-expect-to-begin-in-the-fall/article_4722697e-e1d6-5dff-98e2-3c3aeb4170c8.html

[Arkansas Rio Gator]

Dan, did you read the dam notes up there (which I posted, but did not write; I have not put time into studying the dam)? Might address what you are wondering about looking like a lake.

[Laramie]

They engineered the necessity to replace it.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/its-too-late-to-save-tulsas-old-pedestrian-bridge-engineer-says/article_aec8205e-60b7-11eb-810a-5f5ebabf5ac5.html

Hope they replace this bridge with something bigger, better and iconic.  Some of my better memories of Tulsa was this beautiful area on the river parks on Riverside.

[brettakins]

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/officials-sign-agreement-to-build-south-tulsa-jenks-low-water-dam/article_33260e0c-9067-11ed-b6b1-9b4c65128c2e.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest

Officials sign agreement to build south Tulsa-Jenks low-water dam

The memorandum of understanding commits the four government entities to provide a total of $97.1 million to the project, which is expected to cross the river at approximately 103rd Street and Riverside Parkway.

The Jenks dam was one of two low-water dams funded as part of the 2016 Vision Tulsa capital improvements package. Tulsa voters approved $127.2 million for the two dams, including no more than $64.2 million for the south Tulsa-Jenks low-water dam. However, construction of that dam has always been contingent on the city of Jenks, the Muscogee Nation and/or other entities contributing a minimum of $32.9 million.

The final piece of the funding puzzle was secured in late December when the Muscogee National Council voted to provide $8.6 million to the project.

Tulsa city officials have said the dam likely will take five years to complete. Bynum said Thursday that the city has a good cost estimate but that the exact number won't be known until the design and permitting for the project are completed.

"We have built into the estimates, when we passed this, healthy reserves for it," he said. "And then we have built in a number of elements into the budget on this that are kind of optional, like a marina, things like that, that if we get to a point where we are seeing that we have cost pinch, we can remove some of those options."

Box described the dam as the largest economic development project in Jenks' history, saying it would spur growth for the next 25 years and beyond.

"This is really the true game-changer for the future of our city," Box said. "We now know for sure how we can plan for our future. We can unite behind a single vision for responsible growth for our (Oklahoma) Aquarium campus all the way south to what you guys know as the River District," Box said.

The memorandum of understanding includes language stating the city of Tulsa's intent to enter into an agreement with the Muscogee Nation to assist in the development of approximately 19.3 acres of tribal land bounded by Lewis Avenue, Riverside Drive, 81st Street and 91st Street.



The other low-water dam funded through Vision Tulsa is Zink Dam, which is essentially being rebuilt north of 31st Street. That project, along with the new Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge, is expected to be completed in late summer.

[SXSW]

About time on the Jenks LWD.  With the design, permitting and construction timeline we won't see it completed until 2028.  That will be transformative for that area though once it's finished

[LandArchPoke]

About time on the Jenks LWD.  With the design, permitting and construction timeline we won't see it completed until 2028.  That will be transformative for that area though once it's finished

I do think it's all contingent on the City of Tulsa still. The Muscogee Nation as part of the agreement is requiring the city to invest something like $5-10+ million (can't remember the exact number) in infrastructure on the former trailer park property they bought and want to develop. So if the City of Tulsa doesn't come up with that $$ somehow then this deal could still fall apart before construction starts.

It's at least progress that it's moving forward and there's some sort of agreement. The Muscogee Council barely passed the resolution to even approve the agreement because they don't trust that the city will follow through so that says a lot to me.

[SXSW]

I go by and check out the construction progress about once a week and work on the LWD looks to be nearly complete.  They have built a new coffer dam on the west bank, assuming it has something to do with the bridge approach but not sure.  There is still a lot of work to complete for the whitewater flume so I imagine the east coffer dam will be up at least a few more months.

This is from the landscape architect's website but appears to be a pretty recent aerial of the entire project:

[LandArchPoke]

I go by and check out the construction progress about once a week and work on the LWD looks to be nearly complete.  They have built a new coffer dam on the west bank, assuming it has something to do with the bridge approach but not sure.  There is still a lot of work to complete for the whitewater flume so I imagine the east coffer dam will be up at least a few more months.

This is from the landscape architect's website but appears to be a pretty recent aerial of the entire project:

I assume the Gathering Place owns the green lots on the north and south side of 31st? I wonder if they plan to do anything on those like maybe a few retail stores pushed up to the sidewalks would be nice. Driving by that area those lots don't seem that big from the car but you can see from the aerial they're bigger than home lots adjacent to it. You could easily get a coffee shop and a restaurant or two right there. 

[SXSW]

I assume the Gathering Place owns the green lots on the north and south side of 31st? I wonder if they plan to do anything on those like maybe a few retail stores pushed up to the sidewalks would be nice. Driving by that area those lots don't seem that big from the car but you can see from the aerial they're bigger than home lots adjacent to it. You could easily get a coffee shop and a restaurant or two right there. 

Any new retail-type development would likely be in the mixed-use development GKFF has planned where the gravel lots are located on the south side of Crow Creek.  I know they are working on determining what is best suited for that site.  Gathering Place still has a lot of work to do along the banks and around where the bridge connects to the MV trail.

[SXSW]

The bridge and dam now expected to open in summer 2024

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/visitors-to-williams-crossing-pedestrian-bridge-wont-help-but-notice-their-surroundings/article_0e146f4c-bc44-11ed-8f41-8f9b2f302c43.html

[shavethewhales]

That's disappointing for a bridge that is ~75% done in mid march of 2023. I know there are lots of details for the landing and the white water course to complete, but they can't even shoot for this fall? Every part of the Gathering Place is super nice, but I always have felt that it's just a bit overkill in execution for what they are really doing. Like they could have spent $100 million less and we probably would have hardly noticed. At the end of the day we just want a nice park and a nice bridge. Some of the ammenities are worth going all out on such as the lodge building, playground and the water course, but would anyone have noticed if some of the random painstakingly developed landscaped areas weren't there? Just my thoughts. I worry they are going to spend another year and millions extra on a fancy plaza that just needs to be a nice plaza.

[Red Arrow]

That's disappointing for a bridge that is ~75% done in mid march of 2023. I know there are lots of details for the landing and the white water course to complete, but they can't even shoot for this fall? Every part of the Gathering Place is super nice, but I always have felt that it's just a bit overkill in execution for what they are really doing. Like they could have spent $100 million less and we probably would have hardly noticed. At the end of the day we just want a nice park and a nice bridge. Some of the ammenities are worth going all out on such as the lodge building, playground and the water course, but would anyone have noticed if some of the random painstakingly developed landscaped areas weren't there? Just my thoughts. I worry they are going to spend another year and millions extra on a fancy plaza that just needs to be a nice plaza.

Creeping elegance is always difficult to resist.