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Imagine a river so dry it had to be mowed twice a year. For decades, Oklahoma City residents lived with just that: a diverted North Canadian River cutting through the south edge of the downtown area. Today, thanks to the vision of civic leaders, a $56 million river renovation has been completed and the newly-renamed Oklahoma River now winds its way through downtown. The saga of the river began in the 1930s after the North Canadian River caused two significant floods. After years of study and construction, the river underwent a "channelization project" in the 1950s. Water was diverted, downtown was safe from flooding, but the riverbed was left dry. By the mid 1970s, the tide had changed and the city had begun looking at restoring at least a portion of the river. Nearly a decade later the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority (OCRRA) was created to promote and oversee redevelopment of the river. Progress was slow, but in 1993 both the plan and funding came together when Oklahoma City voters approved the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) program, a multi-year, multi-million dollar tax that funded nine major community projects – including redevelopment of the river. The plan: to develop a seven-mile series of river lakes bringing water back to downtown. The project was completed in 2004 and today, the Oklahoma River is the jewel of downtown. Thousands of trees have been planted near the shore, with landscaped trails winding along the entire length of the river. The Chesapeake Boathouse was the first private construction project to be funded along the river. Today, an $111 million Native American Cultural Center is under construction and Dell Computer has built a new facility along the river. A water taxi system will soon allow travelers to navigate the waterway from the I40 and Meridian area into Bricktown. And with the designation of a portion of the river as "boathouse row," Oklahoma City is sure to see new boathouses under construction in the next few years, bringing more rower, more users of the river downtown. Oklahomans have many civic leaders to thank
for the rejuvenation of our river. Ron Norick, former Mayor of Oklahoma City lead the MAPS project and today serves as chairman of the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority Ray Ackerman, former chairman of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, conceived the idea of renaming the North Canadian as the Oklahoma River Jim Couch, City Manager, responsible for project oversight John Rhodes, Oklahoma City manager of the dam construction work Pat Downes, Director of Economic Development for the
Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority
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