Oklahoma City’s first neighborhood trail opened Friday as civic leaders cut the ribbon on MAPS 3’s Will Rogers Trail.

“Building a city that gives residents a safe place to run and ride their bikes is a priority of the City Council, and today gets us 8 miles closer to that goal,” said Mayor Mick Cornett. “I’d like to thank all the businesses and neighborhoods along the trail for their support. The trail will prove to be a source of pride and an invaluable investment in our residents’ health.”

Cornett was joined by Ward 1 Councilman John Greiner, MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board Chairman Tom McDaniel and other civic leaders as they opened the trail during a ceremony along May Avenue near SW 5^th Street.

The Will Rogers Trail’s north trailhead includes a parking lot at Meridian and Northwest Expressway just south of Lake Hefner. Heading southeast, the protected trail generally follows the Northwest Expressway to the Lake Hefner Parkway. A crosswalk gets pedestrian and cyclists across NW Expressway safely.

The trail follows Interstate 44 south as it wraps around the north side of State Fair Park, then turns south following May Avenue to the south trailhead on the Oklahoma River Trail system.

All but two blocks of the 8.1-mile urban asphalt trail are protected.

The debt-free project finished nearly $2 million under budget with a final cost of $11.6 million. The trail, the second of three MAPS 3 Trails, connects thousands of residents, workers, shoppers and visitors in the neighborhoods, businesses, hotels and more along its route within the growing Oklahoma City trails system.

The ADA-compliant, multi-use trail is designed for two-way traffic.

The project engineers are MKEC Engineering, MacArthur Associated Consultants and Johnson and Associates. Rudy Construction is the contractor.

The 7.5-mile West River Trail was finished in 2015 and was the first of the three MAPS 3 Trails to be completed. Construction begins soon on the 13-mile Lake Draper Trail, the last trail included in the program.

About MAPS 3

MAPS 3 is a $777 million, debt-free capital improvement program to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City. It is funded by a 1-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010 and ended in December 2017. MAPS 3 funds eight projects: Downtown Convention Center, Downtown Public Park, Modern Streetcar/Transit, Oklahoma River Improvements, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements, Senior Health and Wellness Centers, Trails and Sidewalks.

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Media Contact
Kristy Yager
(405) 297-2550 / (405) 863-2831
kristy.yager@okc.gov