This story originally ran on VeloCityOKC.com.
A new 3.3-mile bike lane is now open in Northeast Oklahoma City, offering cyclists a safer and more convenient way to navigate the area. The route connects the Capitol View, Springlake and Culbertson neighborhoods with key local resources, including Metro Tech’s Springlake Campus, Homeland grocery store and the MAPS 3 Community Health, Recreation and Wellness Center.
A standout feature of the new route is a two-way bike lane along N. Kelley Avenue, which allows cyclists to travel in both directions, protected from vehicle traffic by a curb. The bike lane follows Springlake Drive, N. Laird Avenue and N. Kelley Avenue before connecting into Culbertson Drive and extending south to NE 13th Street.
The $505,600 project was funded through the Better Streets, Safer City sales tax initiative and is part of the national U.S. Bike Route 66, which was officially designated in July 2022 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Oklahoma’s inclusion in this route supports the Governor’s goal of making Oklahoma a “Top Ten State,” and, according to BikeOklahoma, the state’s bike advocacy organization, it also boosts tourism income for communities along Route 66 and improves resources for cyclists with better maps and signage.
This new bike lane is part of Oklahoma City’s broader effort to enhance bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. In June, the City Council approved an update to the bikewalkokc master plan, the first since its adoption in 2018. “This update continues our momentum toward making Oklahoma City more walkable and bikeable and will bring sidewalks, trails and bike lanes to more neighborhoods,” said Transportation Planner Justin Henry.
Since the plan’s inception, Oklahoma City has added 9.53 miles of bike lanes, 15.69 miles of trails and 176.48 miles of sidewalks, funded through Better Streets, Safer City, MAPS 3 and state and federal grants. The updated plan introduces 10 new Pedestrian Priority Areas, prioritizes bike facilities to improve connections with existing routes and proposes new strategies for sidewalk connectivity around public transit and new trails on former rail corridors.
The update was shaped by an advisory group of City Council members, Planning and Traffic Commission members, a Trails Advisory Committee member and other stakeholders, with input from the public gathered over two years.
For more information on street safety, visit watchformeok.com. Residents can also help reduce traffic-related deaths by participating in a survey at vision.okc.gov/vision-zero.
