In a post on his Facebook page, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum says construction is on track to complete construction by the summer of 2023 on a new low-water dam and new lake on the Arkansas River at the Gathering Place park.
The mayor also provided a computer-generated ‘fly-by’ animation of the current state of the construction to give people an idea of what the upcoming “flume” feature will look like next to the east bank of the river.
You can see the animation here.
The new lake, which will extend all the way to I-244 to the north, will be deeper than the old lake.
The flume will create whitewater rapids for kayakers and is separated from the main part of the river by an island.
Also, because the gates on the new dam can be lowered until they’re completely flat, sediments will be flushed away during high-water events, keeping those sediments from filling up the lake.
Approximately five additional acres of space will be opened up and landscaped on the east bank of the river, realizing a long-anticipated goal of improving people’s recreational access to the river.
There’s also a large plaza that’s being constructed where the new pedestrian bridge connects to the Gathering Place on the east side of the river, which officials say will provide a good place for people to meet up with their friends.