Downtown sidewalk project awarded additional funding

The much-discussed and talked about downtown streetscape project may finally be close to being done after years of conversations, meetings, appeals, engineering, and reexamining.

In August 2016, the City of Guthrie was chosen to receive $678,000 in grant assistance through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a program administered through the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). The grant was set up for improvements with sidewalks, bump outs, trees, shrubs, and intersection upgrades to Division St. from south of Harrison Ave. to the alleyway north of Oklahoma Ave.

Throughout the years of the project, local groups, citizens, and the State Historic Preservation Offices (SHIPO) opposed the project, especially the proposed bump-outs at the intersections of Oklahoma Ave. and Harrison Ave. Later, the bump-outs were removed from the proposal.

The ADA-compliant sidewalk project will add and replace sidewalks throughout downtown on both the east and west sides. The project was projected from the alleyway between Oklahoma St. and Cleveland St. due south to the alleyway south of Harrison Ave., but will now extend south past Harrison Ave.

The original cost was estimated to be just under $850,000 with the City of Guthrie funding $169,000 that was generated through incremental taxes collected at the 2013 Gentlemen of the Road event which featured Mumford & Sons.

With the rising inflation rate, the project is now estimated at $1,145,996.

Last month, the City received an invoice for their portion of the grant match indicating the increase in cost. Following receipt of the invoice, City staff reached out to Trent January who is with ODOT’s Division Engineer, and requested a meeting to discuss this item. During the meeting, January agreed to cover the cost of the inflation to the tune of $297,989.

“Staff appreciates the relationship we have with our partners, and this is just one example of working together towards a common goal,” City Manager Eddie Faulkner said.

The breakdown of the funding includes $678,406 from the TAP program, $297,989 from the ODOT Division Engineering Funding, and $169,601 from the City.

The construction timeframe is not immediately known but will be awarded and overlooked by ODOT.

In 2021, ODOT constructed sidewalks along the east side of Division St. The project was to include the entire downtown area, but was halted by the Guthrie Historical Preservation Commission. Related article: City Council overturns HPC on downtown sidewalks