Oklahoma City Lower Park

Owner: City of Oklahoma

Contractor: Wynn Construction

Facilitator: Cinda Bond

Awards:
Ruby Level IPI John L. Martin Partnered Project of the Year Award

Budget: $777M

Project Description

The Scissortail Lower Park, the final installment in the $777 million MAPS 3 capital improvement program, enriches the Oklahoma City experience with a transformative 66-acre urban oasis. Financed by a one-cent sales tax initiative, the program, including this $24.5 million Lower Park, reflects the City's commitment to enhancing the quality of life for its residents. Stretching from Oklahoma City Boulevard to the Skydance Bridge, the park offers 28 acres of open spaces, athletic fields, and recreational amenities seamlessly connected to the Upper Park by the iconic Skydance Bridge. The team planted 752 new trees — 40 different species of native and non-native trees and preserved 60 large existing trees throughout the 28-acre site.

The project team persevered despite funding challenges, ice storms, delayed third-party utility relocations, and unexpected discoveries during site demolition (such as old clay water pipes, concrete foundations, and buried batteries). A vast ice storm at the start of construction caused the reassignment of Oklahoma utility crews to storm repair, delaying project utility relocation for months. It impacted the team's ability to achieve the desired first-season planting windows. The team hopscotched the site to keep work moving despite the utility delays, resulting in many more workarounds than usual, impacting the project's schedule and costs. The need for hazardous material mitigation, particularly removing 947.1 tons of contaminated materials and discovering underground storage tanks, added complexities and costs. The successful resolution of delays and pricing disputes showcased the team's dedication to collaboration, fairness, and completing the project with the relationships intact.

In 2023, this project received a ruby-level recognition from the International Partnering Institute for its John L. Martin Partnered Project of the Year Award.