Skydance Bridge

Last updated
Skydance Bridge
Oklahoma Skydance Bridge in 2019.jpg
The bridge in 2019
Coordinates 35°27′23″N97°31′03″W / 35.45650°N 97.51742°W / 35.45650; -97.51742
Carries
Crosses
Locale Downtown Oklahoma City
Other name(s)
  • Skydance Pedestrian Bridge
  • Scissortail Bridge
Named for Scissor-tailed flycatcher
Owner City of Oklahoma City
Maintained by Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Website www.okc.gov/departments/public-works/resident-community-resources/skydance-bridge
Characteristics
Design Truss bridge
Material
Total length380 feet
Width20 feet
Height192 feet
History
ArchitectMKEC Engineering Consultants Inc.
DesignerS-X-L
Successful competition designButzer Design
Constructed byManhattan Road & Bridge Co.
Construction startAugust 2011
Construction endApril 2012
Construction cost$6.8 million
OpenedApril 23, 2012
InauguratedApril 23, 2012
Location
Skydance Bridge

The Skydance Bridge (oftentimes called the Skydance Pedestrian Bridge or Scissortail Bridge) is a pedestrian bridge and public artwork in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. [1]

Contents

History and design

The bridge at night, 2014 Skydance Bridge OKC.jpg
The bridge at night, 2014

On May 15, 2002, the United States Department of Transportation approved a plan for the Oklahoma City Crosstown realignment. Included in the plan was the requirement that the city build a pedestrian bridge to cross Interstate 40. [2] [3] In 2008, Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett announced a design competition for the bridge. [4] Architects Hans and Torrey Butzer conceived of the bridge as being inspired by the mating dance of the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma's state bird. [5] [6] [7] The double-winged structure would be a sculptural landmark and provide support to a pedestrian deck that connects two portions of Oklahoma City's Scissortail Park. The concept was developed into the competition-winning design by Hans Butzer, Stan Carroll, Ken Fitzsimmons, Jeremy Gardner, Bret Johnston, Laurent Massenat, Chris Ramseyer, and David Wanzer in collaboration with MKEC Inc. [8]

The location of the bridge was chosen as part of the "Core to Shore" initiative, which was intended to connect the core of downtown Oklahoma City to the shore of the Oklahoma River. An urban park was in the early stages of planning in the same area as part of the MAPS 3 project; the bridge connects the park's upper and lower portions. [9]

The city allocated a budget of $6.8 million. The cost was originally estimated to be around $5.2 million, but unexpected problems pushed the estimate to $12.8 million. [10] To lower costs, part of the bridge was redesigned, including the elimination of large cables originally intended to stretch from the top of the bird design to the base of the bridge. [10] Construction was originally expected to run from March to November 2011, but due to the cost issues construction did not begin until August 2011. It was constructed at the same time as the new Interstate 40. [11] [10]

The Manhattan Road & Bridge Company built the 380-feet long, 192-feet tall, 20-feet wide bridge. [12] The bird sculpture was completed in December 2011, and construction was finished in April 2012. [13] The bridge officially opened on April 23, 2012, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony which included appearances by design architects and public officials. [14] The design includes fully programmable energy efficient LED lights that illuminate the bridge from dusk to dawn. [13] [15] [16]

In June 2019, city leaders approved a $840,000 repair project on the bridge to replace the wood deck, which had reached its lifespan. It was replaced with a composite fiberglass deck and underwent construction from summer 2019 through summer 2020. [17] [18]

Reception

In 2012, the structure was named one of the 50 best public art projects in the United States by the Americans for the Arts' "Public Art Network Year in Review". [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma City</span> Capital city of Oklahoma, United States

Oklahoma City, officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and is the 8th largest city in the Southern United States. The population grew following the 2010 census and reached 681,054 in the 2020 census. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1,396,445, and the Oklahoma City–Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,469,124, making it Oklahoma's largest municipality and metropolitan area by population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark</span> Plaza and Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark opened in 1998 in downtown Oklahoma City's Bricktown Entertainment District, replacing All Sports Stadium. It is the home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball team. The park has seating for up to 13,066 fans and currently utilizes a seating capacity of 9,000 for Dodgers games.

The Oklahoman is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media lists it as the 59th largest U.S. newspaper in circulation.

KWTV-DT is a television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is the flagship broadcast property of locally based Griffin Media, and is co-owned with MyNetworkTV affiliate KSBI. Both stations share studios on West Main Street in downtown Oklahoma City, while KWTV-DT's transmitter is located on the city's northeast side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSBI</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Oklahoma City

KSBI is a television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by locally based Griffin Media alongside CBS affiliate and company flagship KWTV-DT. Both stations share studios on West Main Street in downtown Oklahoma City, while KSBI's transmitter is located on the city's northeast side.

The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The authority operates as a statutory corporation that holds the licenses for all of the PBS stations operating in the state; it is managed by an independent board of gubernatorial appointees, and university and education officials, which is linked to the executive branch of the Oklahoma state government through the Secretary of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BOK Tower</span> Tallest commercial skyscraper building in Tulsa, Oklahoma

BOK Tower is a skyscraper in Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. At 203 m (667 ft) in height, the 52-story tower was the tallest building in Oklahoma until surpassed by Devon Tower in 2011. It was built in 1976 and designed by Minoru Yamasaki & Associates, the same architect who designed the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City. This structure is a replica of Tower 1; former CEO John Williams liked the design of the WTC so much he hired the same architect to build him a 1/4 scale model of Tower 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffin Media</span> Media company in Oklahoma

Griffin Media is an American media company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company began as a subsidiary of Muskogee-based Griffin Foods, which produces a line of pancake and waffle syrups and other foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harding Charter Preparatory High School</span> Charter school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Harding Charter Preparatory High School is an open-access public charter high school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was founded in 2003 and is sponsored by the Oklahoma City Public Schools system, offering a free public college-preparatory education. The school's expectation is that after graduation every student will not only enter college but earn a four-year degree, either directly out of high school or after enlisting in the military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Oklahoma City</span> Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City in the United States

Downtown Oklahoma City is located at the geographic center of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and contains the principal, central business district of the region. The CBD has over 51,000 workers and over 12,000,000 sq ft (1,100,000 m2) of leasable office space to-date. Downtown Oklahoma City is the legal, financial, economic, nightlife, and entertainment center of the region.

The Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway, aka I-40 Crosstown, is a roughly five-mile (8.0 km) stretch of Interstate 40 (I-40) just south of Downtown Oklahoma City, running along the Oklahoma River between Agnew Avenue and the I-40/I-35/I-235 Crossroads of America junction. Prior to 2012, the I-40 Crosstown was an elevated stretch that bisected downtown. The Oklahoma City Crosstown is the de facto east–west artery through Oklahoma City, serving as an unofficial dividing line between north and south Oklahoma City. It is owned and maintained by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Taft Stadium is a WPA-built stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is the current home to teams from Northwest Classen High School, John Marshall High School, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Oklahoma Centennial High School, as well as a professional soccer team, Oklahoma City Energy FC. Built in 1934, the stadium closed in 2013 and reopened in 2015 following substantial renovation. As part of the renovation the seating capacity was reduced from approximately 18,000 to approximately 7,500, with the red-stone facade being the only feature left unaltered. A new all-weather track replaced a dirt track which was installed in 1946.

The Pei Plan was an urban redevelopment initiative designed for downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, in the 1960s and 1970s. It is the informal name for two related commissions of noted architect and urban planner I. M. Pei — namely the Central Business District General Neighborhood Renewal Plan and the Central Business District Project I-A Development Plan. It was formally adopted in 1965, and implemented in public and private phases throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Metropolitan Area Projects Plan (MAPS) is a multi-year, municipal capital improvement program, consisting of a number of projects, originally conceived in the 1990s in Oklahoma City by its then mayor Ron Norick. A MAPS program features several interrelated and defined capital projects, funded by a temporary sales tax, administered by a separate dedicated city staff funded by the sales tax, and supervised by a volunteer citizens oversight committee.

The Metropolitan Area Projects Plan 3, or MAPS 3, is a $777 million public works and redevelopment project in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma funded by a temporary voter-approved sales tax increase. The one-cent sales tax initiative began in April 2010 and ended in December 2017. The structure of MAPS 3 is in the pay-as-you-go format of a Metropolitan Area Projects Plan including a temporary sales tax, multiple projects, and volunteer citizens oversight committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harding Fine Arts Academy</span> School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Harding Fine Arts Academy (HFAA) is a college preparatory high school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is sponsored by the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Holt (politician)</span> American politician

David Holt is an American attorney, businessman and Republican politician who is the 38th mayor of Oklahoma City and dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law. He is a member of the Osage Nation. He is the youngest mayor of Oklahoma City since 1923; during his first year in office, he was the youngest mayor of a U.S. city over 500,000. He is Oklahoma City's first Native American mayor. His signature achievement as mayor has been the passage of MAPS 4 in 2019, a $1.1 billion initiative including 16 projects, which voters approved in a landslide. He served in the Oklahoma Senate from 2010 to 2018, eventually as majority whip. In 2021, Punchbowl News called Holt "a whip-smart technocratic Republican who seems out of step with the party's current slash-and-burn mentality."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma City Streetcar</span>

The Oklahoma City Streetcar, also known as the MAPS 3 streetcar, is a streetcar system in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, that opened in 2018 and is operated by Embark. The 4.8-mile (7.7 km) system serves the greater downtown Oklahoma City area using modern, low-floor streetcars, the first of which was delivered in February 2018. The initial system has two lines that connect Oklahoma City's Central Business District with the entertainment district, Bricktown, and the Midtown District. Expansion to other districts surrounding downtown as well as more routes in the CBD is planned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bricktown Canal</span> Canal and tourist attraction in Oklahoma City

The Bricktown Canal is a canal in Bricktown, Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The waterway opened in 1999 and has become a popular tourist destination featuring many attractions. Downtown OKC Partnership and the Bricktown Association held a 20th anniversary celebration in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Oklahoma City mayoral election</span> 2022 mayoral election in Oklahoma City

The 2022 Oklahoma City mayoral election took place on February 8, 2022, to elect the Mayor of Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City mayoral elections require a majority vote and in order to win the first round a candidate must reach 50% of the vote. Incumbent mayor David Holt won re-election to his second term in office with nearly 60% of the first round vote.

References

  1. ↑ "Skydance Bridge | City of OKC". City of Oklahoma City . Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Road to Tomorrow At Last, I-40 Reroute Nears Start Date". The Oklahoman . May 15, 2002. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  3. ↑ Kimball, Michael (November 23, 2011). "Skydance Bridge about to rise up in Oklahoma City". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ "OKC FACTS & HISTORY". Visit OKC. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Skydance Bridge".
  6. ↑ Pike, Hannah (February 25, 2019). "Award-winning OU architecture dean balances teaching, design". OU Daily.
  7. ↑ Manwarren, Leigh. "SkyDance Bridge Design". University of Oklahoma College of Engineering . Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ Ramseyer, Chris; Butzer, Hans. "Reaching for the Sky" (PDF). Structure Magazine. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Skydance Bridge". Butzer Architects and Urbanism. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 Dean, Bryan (October 27, 2010). "Skydance Bridge to be redesigned". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Skydance Bridge construction in OKC set for August start". The Oklahoman. June 22, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Award of Merit, Transportation: Oklahoma City Skydance Bridge". Engineering News-Record . December 12, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  13. 1 2 "SKYDANCE BRIDGE". Americans for the Arts . May 15, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ Ingle Oingle, Olivia (June 19, 2012). "Oklahoma City SkyDance Bridge is one of nation's top 50 public arts projects". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Skydance bridge opens to pedestrians, lights up night". The Oklahoman. April 24, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  16. ↑ "SkyDance Bridge Officially Unveiled In Oklahoma City". KWTV . April 23, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  17. ↑ Querry, K. (June 19, 2019). "City leaders approve plan to repair Skydance Bridge". KFOR-TV . Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  18. ↑ Torp, Kari (February 6, 2020). "Skydance Bridge Repairs Could Last Until Summer". KWTV-DT . Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  19. ↑ "SkyDance Bridge In OKC One Of Nation's Top 50 Public Art Projects". KWTV . June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.