Residents urge council to preserve Deep Fork Trail as Kirkpatrick Foundation seeks PUD change

Dozens of residents, cyclists and neighborhood leaders urged the Oklahoma City Council on the introduction of a planned-unit-development (PUD) application to preserve the planned Deep Fork Trail alignment through the property recently purchased by the Kirkpatrick Foundation.

The speakers said the unfinished section of the Deep Fork Trail forces pedestrians, runners and bicyclists onto busy, hilly roads — including Northeast 50th Street and Kelly Avenue — and asked the council not to accept a proposed PUD change that removes express trail language from the development plan.

The speakers included residents who described near-misses with cars and longer, less-safe trips because the trail is not continuous. “We were forced…to jump from the curbs into the grass several times to avoid getting hit by cars,” said Antonio de la Vega, describing a 6 a.m. run that required two miles on busy streets. “Pedestrians, runners, dog walkers, and stroller pushers deserve to have a safe venue,” said de la Vega.

Why this matters: the Deep Fork Trail is the remaining link in a roughly 100-mile municipal trail network. Speakers argued the missing segment harms safety, accessibility and the connectivity that residents…