More sidewalks planned for Altus
ALTUS — City council members approved almost $600,000 in funding for a trail in the Northridge housing addition during a meeting earlier this month.
The trail is part of a program to build sidewalks and trails throughout Altus and connect neighborhoods, Mayor Robert Garrison said.
The council approved the bid of $583,938 from M&B Contracting of Altus, which includes the 10-foot walking trail, signage, landscaping and other trail amenities. The amenities include benches, bike racks, shade structures, litter receptacles, a rest stop and a bike repair stop.
The project, which will be slightly less than a mile, was originally advertised for bids in December, but the city only received one bid from Wyatt Contracting so the project was re-advertised and three bids were submitted.
The public bid opening was held April 28. M&B Contracting was the low bid. Funding will come from an Oklahoma Tourism grant (80%) with the city providing the remaining 20%.
Garrison said officials wanted to build this project and others to connect various parts of the city and for safety reasons.
“We have kids who are walking home from school, and they have no sidewalks or trails to walk on,” he said. “I know a lot of our elderly residents will be using them for exercise.”
Eventually, other sidewalks will be built around the city, City Manager Gary Jones said. Specific projects include a sidewalk from Park Lane extending north to Tamarack Boulevard, a 2.5-mile sidewalk around the Altus Reservoir, and one measuring less than a mile extending from the intersection of Navajoe Street and Broadway Street south to Missile Park.
Building sidewalks and/or walkways will help prevent close to 90% of pedestrian deaths, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Approximately 4,500 pedestrians are killed in traffic crashes with motor vehicles in the U.S annually. Many of those tragedies are preventable, the agency claims.
“Providing walkways separated from the travel lanes could help prevent up to 88% of these,” the Department of Transportation wrote in an annual report.
Providing sidewalks can increase transportation options for children, older adults or people with disabilities, the agency said in its report.
“Research also indicates that people will walk for recreational purposes if a facility is provided. Recreational walking is one of the easiest ways for people to get the recommended allotment of physical exercise each day,” the report showed.
According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, “safe, accessible, and well-maintained sidewalks are a fundamental and necessary investment for cities, and have been found to enhance general public health and maximize social capital.”