By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
With people starting to venture out more, many walkers and cyclists are loving a new multi-use trail that connects Yukon to Oklahoma City’s trails to the east.
The City of Yukon hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, May 19 at the southwest corner of Cornwell and Vandament. The trail stretches from Dickenson Park at First and Poplar to Yukon’s east boundary on Lakeshore Drive in Yukon city limits.
“We are very excited about the new multi-use trail that connects Yukon to Lake Overholser!” Yukon Vice Mayor Jeff Wootton said. “It is a wonderful addition to our community!”
Pedestrians and bicyclists have already been enjoying the nice, wide trail after the grant-funded project was finished earlier this year. The dedication was delayed because of the COVID-19 shutdown.
Yukon City Council members and other local officials participated in this week’s ribbon cutting.
“For a time like this, it is great to have the resources for people to get outside, exercise and enjoy a nice bike ride with the nice weather we are starting to enjoy,” Wootton said.
“I encourage Yukon residents to check it out!”
The Dickenson Park-to-Lakeshore Drive trail is the fifth in the City of Yukon’s trail system.
The 1.75-mile-long trail travels along the north side of Poplar from First Street to Cornwell, the west side of Cornwell from Poplar to Main Street, the south side of Main Street from Cornwell to Yukon Parkway, and the south side of Lakeshore from Yukon Parkway to Oklahoma City limits.
Yukon’s other walking/bicycle trails are at the interconnecting Chisholm Trail, Freedom Trail and Yukon City parks, 500 W Vandament and 2200 S Holly; Kimbell Park, 525 S Seventh; Welch Park, 615 Annawood; and Greenbelt Park, 400 E Vandament.
GRANT FUNDS $620k PROJECT
The City of Yukon in 2014 was awarded a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant through the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments and Oklahoma Department of Transportation to provide federal matching funds for this master trail.
Total construction cost was $619,714 for the trail. In some parts, the walking/bicycle trail is on the public roadway.
The concrete trail is 10-feet wide in most areas and 6-feet wide in others.
The project improves public safety by allowing both cyclists and pedestrians to utilize a new, wider path instead of being in the street and risk falling off the curb, according to City of Yukon grant writer Claudia Krshka.
The project contractor was Crossland Heavy Constructors, which had completed most of the trail late last fall. Crews had to return earlier this year to finish a small section on both sides of the railroad tracks near Cornwell and Poplar.
