City and county leaders broke ground on a new low-water dam on the Arkansas River, that will go in the exact same spot as the old one but with one major improvement.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum says it will have gates all the way across.

The old one only has gates on one end, which means that sand and silt build up behind it.

“It’s one of the reasons it was so important for us to have the new design with gates running all the way across, so that any sand that comes in gets flushed out during heavy water-release events,” Bynum said.

That means they’ll be able to create a 3-mile-long lake behind the dam year-round that will stay deep enough, 8 to 10 feet, to allow for things like kayaks and sailboats.

A new pedestrian bridge is also in the works in the same spot as the old bridge.

The mayor points out that this bridge will be designed from the ground up for pedestrian use, whereas the old one was converted from an old railroad bridge.

Cox Media Group