The City of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, will receive a $2 million state grant to construct a Route 66-themed park near the historic Rock Creek Bridge on the city’s west side.
Fox 23 in nearby Tulsa reports the city had been seeking to build such a park for a decade.
Plans include benches, walking trails, a water tower and more.
FOX23 spoke with the Sapulpa City Manager Joan Riley who said this is something that is needed for the city.
“Our goal is to allow for people to stay longer in Oklahoma when they’re traveling the route and to find all of the uniqueness of all the different spots along the way. From small towns to larger cities like Tulsa and Oklahoma City down to very small places,” Riley said.
The Rock Creek Bridge near the planned park was built in 1924 on the Ozark Trail alignment of early Route 66. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sapulpa Times also had a few more details:
“The hope is to create a tourist destination and community park right there along Route 66 taking us from downtown Route 66, through our town, all the way to the (Heart of Route 66) Auto Museum.” Riley said.
According to Riley, the grant program had 58 applicants and would accept two large projects and 13 smaller projects. Sapulpa was one of the two large projects that received funding.
(Screen-capture image from Fox 23 video of an artist’s rendering of the proposed Route 66-themed park in Sapulpa, Oklahoma)