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OKLAHOMA CITY - Six years have passed since city and state transportation engineers agreed to an overhaul of designs for a new downtown boulevard after failing to quiet community protests over its resemblance to the old elevated Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway.

During a series of community meetings held from 2013 to 2014, the boulevard design changed from one that would have been a 1,600-foot elevated span between Walker and Western Avenues to a 100-foot-long bridge that otherwise will be ground level for the majority of the stretch between Classen Boulevard and Bricktown.

Renderings and animated videos showed a dedicated bike lane between Walker Avenue and E.K. Gaylord Boulevard. But at the final public meeting, hosted at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation with far less publicity or participation, the bike lane was quietly killed.

Based on available records, it does not appear the Oklahoma City Council was informed of this change. Transportation Department records also show the city, not the state agency, sought the elimination of the dedicated bike lane in favor of a shared pathway. Only when the construction bid was awarded last week and a new rendering was released did the public learn of the change.

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