Jenks Voted for a River Lake in 2016. The Version Moving Forward Is Just the Dam.

"If the project proceeds at that level, it would fund essentially only the low-water dam," Jenks City Councilor Adam Abel told the Tulsa Flyer this month. "The proposed river parks on both sides, pedestrian connections, and other public amenities included in the larger vision would not be part of the initial project."

That statement changes what Jenks is waiting for. The South Tulsa–Jenks low-water dam was sold to voters as a lake with parks and a way to walk across the river. The version engineers are now pursuing is the concrete structure in the water. Everything around it would come later, if funding allows.

What the Least Expensive Option Removes

In 2016, Tulsa and Jenks voters approved a low-water dam and pedestrian bridge near 103rd Street and Riverside. The goal was to create a lake in the Arkansas River between 71st and 103rd streets. When the partners formalized the deal in December 2022, Jenks Mayor Cory Box called it "the biggest in our city's history" and pointed to "the trails and park amenities it will provide."

Engineers have since presented three scaled-down versions, according to Abel. The cheapest one is the one being pursued, and even it faces a funding gap of at least $40 million.

Abel said the hope is to add the removed pieces back "over time as funding permits." Someone who lives near the river can't kayak on a dam or walk on one. They use the shoreline, the trails, and the crossing, and those are the parts now on the "later" list.

How the Price Tripled

Three numbers have followed this project, and they measure different things.

• $64.2 million: the most Tulsa voters approved for the project in the April 2016 Vision Tulsa package. Jenks voters approved $16.6 million that same year.
• $97.1 million: the combined funding the four government partners committed when they signed the agreement in January 2023.
• $180 million: the current cost estimate, which doesn't include an estimated $20 million maintenance endowment.

At the August 25 meeting of Tulsa's Sales Tax Overview Committee, chair Ashley Webb said the estimate was "approximately $100 million over any of the funding that we have." He then asked the partners about their "appetite on continuing to try to work together to make this happen." Tulsa Councilor Phil Lakin has said the 2016 estimate, adjusted to 2020 prices, was about $64 million and that material and labor inflation were expected to push it higher.

Jenks has put more money in. Abel said the city pledged its entire remaining Vision 2016 surplus, about $10 million, which brings Jenks' total commitment to $27 million. The Muscogee Nation's contribution is less settled. Press secretary Jason Salsman said the Nation's roughly $8.2 million from the Southern Villa TIF district wasn't included in the latest draft agreement. Any further involvement, he said, would mean going "back to the drawing board" to renegotiate. City of Tulsa spokesman Carson Colvin said the city is working with its partners on the gap. INCOG Executive Director Kenneth Corn said INCOG remains committed.

Zink Lake Shows How Long Even a Finished Project Takes

The same 2016 Vision package also paid to rebuild Zink Dam near downtown Tulsa. That project is finished, and its timeline is the best local measure of how these builds actually go.

The City puts Zink Dam's total cost at $48 million: $46 million for the dam and $2 million for bank stabilization.

Zink opened about 18 months later than its forecast. That was a project with its money in hand and construction already underway. Opening the lake didn't make it predictable either. Tulsa World reported that Zink Lake reopened for water recreation on July 18, 2025, after a five-week closure caused by unsafe flows from heavy rain and higher releases from Keystone Dam. Today, River Parks lists the Tulsa Wave Park as running daily from 9 a.m. to dusk, with surfing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and tubing.

In December 2022, city officials told the Tulsa World the Jenks project would take about five years to permit, design, and build. Nearly four years later, the project is still waiting on the notice to proceed with full design, and Zink's forecast slipped even after its construction was underway.

The Trail Money Runs on a Separate Clock

One more piece could change what reaches the Jenks shoreline. In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $16.2 million RAISE grant for the Tulsa–Jenks Multi-Modal Safety project. INCOG's application describes it as trail and street-crossing safety work on both sides of the river. It covers neither the dam nor the pedestrian bridge, which are funded separately with local money. The application set construction for March 2025 through June 2027.

The trail network was designed to tie into the dam and the bridge. So the grant has its own funding, but the full route depends on the very pedestrian connections the least-cost dam option leaves out. USDOT said it intended to hold all FY2022 RAISE recipients to an obligation deadline of September 30, 2026, which is today. Obligation means a signed grant agreement. The public records reviewed for this post don't show whether that agreement has been signed or whether the trail schedule has been revised. Watch for that answer from INCOG and the two cities over the coming weeks.

The Riverfront Jenks Already Has

All of this means the riverfront Jenks uses today is likely to stay its riverfront for a while: the Jenks Riverwalk, the Oklahoma Aquarium, and Tulsa Premium Outlets. This fall's calendar there is already full.

• Oct. 2 to 3, Oklahoma Aquarium: "21+ ZZZs in the Seas - Murder Mystery," an adults-only overnight. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 7:30 a.m., with a Murder Mystery Co. show, a movie, snacks, and drinks.
• Oct. 10, Tulsa Premium Outlets: the Great Pumpkin Pawty, 1 to 3 p.m. It includes a canine costume contest, free K9 Clip & Clean express groomings, microchipping by the Humane Society of Tulsa, a Here Comes Bella book signing, and live music from Briana Evans.
• Oct. 16 to 31, Oklahoma Aquarium: the 22nd annual HallowMarine. Daytime sessions run Oct. 16 and 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. Night sessions run Oct. 23, 24, 30, and 31 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 29, Jenks Riverwalk: the Chamber-hosted Trick-or-Treat, 4 to 6 p.m., with decorated treat tables.
• Saturday, Nov. 21, Jenks Riverwalk: the free Native Christmas Market, presented with the Muscogee Nation, 1 to 7 p.m. Moonset plays from 3 to 6 p.m.
• Early December, Jenks Riverwalk: the 4th annual Christmas on the Riverwalk, presented by Landmark Outdoor Services. It runs 5 to 8 p.m. near the amphitheater stage at 300 Riverwalk Terrace, with free Santa photos and live Christmas music. The announcement lists both Dec. 5 and Dec. 6, so confirm the date before you go.

The Native Christmas Market also ties back to the dam story. The same Muscogee Nation whose $8.2 million pledge now needs renegotiating is co-hosting a free market on the Riverwalk this November. Councilor Anthony Archie, whose Tulsa district includes the dam site, argued that a beautiful riverfront with extended trails draws private developers who "want to be there." On the Jenks side, the Riverwalk, the aquarium, and the outlets are already open. The river parks, trail links, and crossing that would have joined them to the water are now the parts waiting on funding. The next concrete milestone is the notice to proceed with full design, expected in mid-October.

If you own property near the Arkansas River in Jenks or are weighing one, the dam's scope affects how you should judge it. I keep up with how projects like this move from council meetings to construction, and I can walk you through what's funded, what's still a proposal, and how to weigh both. Michael Yannacacos is glad to help you sort the riverfront plans from what's actually built. Let's Connect.