Construction began recently on a pedestrian bridge over Chuckwa Creek off North First Avenue that is the culmination of an eight-year project.
Durant City Council in an April meeting awarded a 1,375,563.58 bid for construction of the Chuckwa Creek pedestrian bridge and Southeastern Oklahoma State University provided matching funds in the amount of $66,556.43.
The city received a grant for the project from ODOT’s Transportation Alternative Program (TAP).
This is a project that has been ongoing and a $674,080 grant from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation was accepted during a council meeting in May 2023. The span of the bridge will be 200 feet and is being constructed on the east side of First Avenue near the Southeastern Visual and Performing Arts Center where there is also an outdoor exercise facility.
There was once a railroad bridge at this location.
TimBoatmun,whohasbeen member of Durant Trails & Open Space since planning for the project began, is excited to see it coming to fruition.
“This was through Imagine Durant and from Imagine Durant, there was people who wanted better and more walking trails and then from there, that committee, we morphed into a different group and we became Durant Trails & Open Space,” Boatmun said.
“The main thing is, this is free. It’s open to the public. It’s open to everyone and it provides three miles of protected walking trail. So, with two miles being on concrete and then a mile being on a trail that goes through the woods. It is a three-mile uninterrupted walking and running trail open to all of the citizens of Durant at no cost.”
There is also a walking/running trail at the SE Biological Sciences building.
“If you want to stay on campus, there’s a 1.75 mile loop or you can take the trail across the protected crossing (on North First Avenue), pick up this trail and you take the pedestrian bridge across Chuckwa Creek.”
According to Boatmun, this is a project that has been about eight years in the making.
“Here’s the thing that has been so great: I think it’s a perfect example of citizens working with the city council, with the city manager, with Bryan County, with ODOT and the state, and all of those groups coming together to provide something for our community that’s free to all of our community members that encour- ages being outside and exercise, and a healthy lifestyle,” Boatmun said.
With completion of the bridge project ongoing, Boatmun said the next vision is getting protected walking/bicycle lanes on Fifth and Sixth avenues.
“So that way, people can be in downtown, safely walk or ride their bikes to the university, out to the softball complex, out to the rodeo arena and back,” Boatmun said. “It’s a designated bike lane already, but how do we really protect that bike lane and to where people can walk and bike? Then, that makes it almost a seven-mile walking trail.”
Mark Mesiti-Miller, chair of the Durant Sustainability Coalition, is pleased that work has begun on the bridge.
“Seeing is believing,” he said. “Now that the steel bridge spans are in place, the new Chuckwa Bridge and Trail project will soon be complete. This project will add half a mile of safe, carfree trail to Durant’s growing network and mark a major milestone in fulfilling the 2017 Durant Master Trails Plan.
“This project also marks a turning point in how projectspecific partnerships between the city and other organizations can get projects done. Congratulations to the many hands working together and making a positive difference.”
The bridge is expected to be completed in early December.
