Economic Benefits of Transportation,  Local Economic Revitalization,  Oklahoma

SH-33 Cottonwood Creek Bridge in Guthrie

The new SH-33 bridge over Cottonwood Creek completed in 2018 serves as a gateway to tourism and economic development for downtown Guthrie, the largest contiguous historic district in the United States. The new bridge replaced an 81-year-old structure and helped eliminate seasonal flooding that often cut off emergency services to the west side of the city, an issue that plagued the previous four bridge structures in this location dating back to 1889.

The modern four-lane structure will accommodate current and future vehicle traffic and is serving as a catalyst for significant public investment by the City of Guthrie to enhance connections between the western half of the city and the historic downtown.

The bridge includes pedestrian access to the downtown area and also will serve as a connection to a future city trails system, a future downtown streetscape and sidewalk project and further redevelopment of park areas by the city to accommodate large annual tourism events that draw between 5,000-10,000 visitors to this area. The city already is seeing improved access to its Cottonwood Flats entertainment district, which serves as the venue for the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival.


Read additional stories from this state: