'It would be amazing': Jenks leaders, residents discuss low water dam and pedestrian bridge proposal

JENKS, Okla. — A proposed low water dam and pedestrian bridge near 104th and Riverside has been in the works for a decade,

Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin says the undeveloped land there offers wide-open potential.

"We have nothing there right now, which gives us the opportunity to really design it for anything and everything that we want," Lakin said.

"We can connect both sides of the river so we can have Jenks people walking to Tulsa and vice versa, a whole lot of opportunity for people to move around, which is exactly what people want," Lakin added.

2 News spoke with south Tulsa residents Bethany Wiginton and Whitney Harrington, who say it'll make it more convenient for their families.

"Instead of having to drive over to this bridge, I'd be able to just kind of walk out and walk straight to a walking path, which would be wonderful with my dog and my kids," Wiginton said.

"I think population is really growing in that direction as well, so integrating those communities with all of the Riverside Trail would be amazing," Harrington added.

Many others have thoughts too. A packed town hall on November 9 in Jenks highlighted two main concerns, the first being cost.

According to a presentation by Jenks Mayor Corey Box, in 2016,the project was projected at around $80 million. At the town hall, the presentation said the four projected options ranged from $143 million to $194 million. Right now, the project has just $105 million in funding.

"It was first estimated in 2015 and so I think they probably took the estimates to 2019 or 2020, but you can't forecast very much after that. Then we had COVID, then we had just the insane inflation," Lakin said.

The other big complaint from residents is the lack of progress on the project. Lakin tells 2 News the bond money for the city of Tulsa isn't finalized until 2028, which means people will have to wait a little while longer.

"We haven't even collected $24 million of the $65 million that needs to be collected because we put this at the very tail end of the project," Lakin said.

A project many are anxiously waiting for.

"I think more access to outdoor activity is always good, and the easier it is accessible, not having to come through higher traffic areas," Harrington said.

"Being able to just like walk there and just being accessible and available would be wonderful," Wiginton added.