OK ERFO NP CHIC 2024-1(1) Veterans Lake Trail Bridge

PROJECT NUMBER: OK ERFO NP CHIC 2024-1(1)

PROJECT NAME: Veterans Lake Trail Bridge

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The project is located along Veterans Lake Trail within the Chickasaw (CHIC) National Recreation Area (NRA) in Murray County, Oklahoma. The proposed improvement is to replace a pedestrian trail bridge that was removed by a tornado April 2024. The existing bridge has been found in Veterans Lake and will need to be removed as well. The existing abutments are intact; however, some of the anchor bolts are bent and the south abutment is cracked.

SCOPE OF THE WORK:

Constructing the new bridge includes repairing the existing abutments that would be reused to support the replacement bridge, repairing the minor masonry structure, and installing an approximately 130-foot-long and 6-foot-wide prefabricated pedestrian bridge. The replacement bridge would be a prefabricated steel truss bridge with a timber deck, similar in appearance to the original structure. Construction staging would occur at the existing parking lot at the north end of the dam and access provided via the existing trail.

Removal of the existing bridge from Veterans Lake would likely involve floating the structure to the parking lots on the east side of the lake and lifting it via crane. The bridge would then be appropriately disposed of. Two parking lots would be utilized as staging areas and provide access for the bridge removal process.

It is anticipated this project will be under construction in the Summer of 2025. The project has an estimated completion date of June 2026.

Due to weather, no onsite work is to occur from early March to early May.