Downtown Revitalization: Oklahoma City

[I-10east]

I can't wait for the next Downtown Revitalization: Texarkana TX/AR megalopolis area.

Looking at the que, here is the next line of cities we'll be profiling over the next few weeks:

London, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Naples, Nashville, Tulsa, Baton Rouge, Dayton, Savannah's port, and Detroit's Indian Village.

Thanks for the update Lake.

[Ocklawaha]

Are you off of your medication again?

No, I've been keeping up with the meds (non-mental medication BTW).

Okay man, I was just a bit worried about you when you pulled Texarkana alongside Jacksonville for a comparison... Though Texarkana does have a pretty cool old Union Station and it's still a transportation hub! BTW, we might toss Dodge City and Greensburg KS, into that mix Lake mentioned. Perhaps we'll catch Texarkana next year.

[I-10east]

I'm packing my bags, headed to Texarkana right now!

[krazeeboi]

The fact of the matter is that Jacksonville isn't exploiting its built-in advantages. Other cities are doing a lot more with a lot less; pretty mind-boggling how lackluster the leadership is in Jacksonville for that to be happening.

[Ocklawaha]

We might be slightly ahead in population, but OKC, is ripping us a new one in CITY 101.

Modern Streetcar 101 community meeting set for May 9

The public is invited to learn about the MAPS 3 Modern Streetcar, streetcar operations and how they are being used around the country by attending a Modern Streetcar 101 community meeting hosted by the City of Oklahoma City and Jacobs Engineering.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, May 9 on the fourth floor of the Downtown Public Library, 300 Park Avenue. Participation is free and registration is not necessary.

The meeting will give attendees insight on how the MAPS 3 Modern Streetcar may function once it’s built. The streetcar is expected to be a catalyst for development and continue the revitalization of downtown Oklahoma City.

Project Manager Mike McAnelly with Jacobs Engineering will discuss the basics of modern streetcars including average speed, turning radius, single and double track options, spacing between stops, and how the streetcars interact with traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists.

“There are many people in the region who have never boarded a modern streetcar and want to know what they can expect from ours,” MAPS 3 Program Manager David Todd said. “We will also discuss streetcar systems that are in various stages of implementation in Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, Kansas City and Los Angeles.”

Attendees will be presented with analysis from transit plans and studies conducted in Oklahoma City and the metropolitan area including the Fixed Guideway Study, Let's Talk Transit, the Greater Downtown OKC Circulator Alternatives Analysis and the Intermodal Transportation Hub Master Plan.

Funding for a $128.8 million Modern Streetcar project was approved by voters in 2009 as a part of MAPS 3 (Metropolitan Area Projects).  The streetcar route is expected to be approved by City Council this summer and construction on the rail is expected to begin in 2014. The rail-based streetcar and a hub will serve downtown Oklahoma City and the number of miles of track constructed will be determined by funding.

The Modern Streetcar project is managed by the City of Oklahoma City’s MAPS 3 office.  A 10-person Modern Streetcar Subcommittee, made up of residents, provides input to City staff and to the MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board.

About MAPS 3
MAPS 3 is a 10-year, $777 million construction program designed to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City. It is funded by a one-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010 and ends in December 2017. MAPS 3 funds eight projects: Downtown Convention Center, Downtown Public Park, Modern Streetcar, Oklahoma River Improvements, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements, Senior Health and Wellness Centers and Trails and Sidewalks.

Stay updated by logging on to www.okc.gov/maps3 or follow us on Twitter @MAPS3 or Facebook at Facebook.com/maps3.
SOURCE: OKC MAPS

[jcjohnpaint]

Really interesting:  "MAPS 3 (Metropolitan Area Projects).  The streetcar route is expected to be approved by City Council this summer and construction on the rail is expected to begin in 2014. The rail-based streetcar and a hub will serve downtown Oklahoma City and the number of miles of track constructed will be determined by funding.

The Modern Streetcar project is managed by the City of Oklahoma City’s MAPS 3 office.  A 10-person Modern Streetcar Subcommittee, made up of residents, provides input to City staff and to the MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board.

About MAPS 3
MAPS 3 is a 10-year, $777 million construction program designed to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City. It is funded by a one-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010 and ends in December 2017. MAPS 3 funds eight projects: Downtown Convention Center, Downtown Public Park, Modern Streetcar, Oklahoma River Improvements, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements, Senior Health and Wellness Centers and Trails and Sidewalks."

[spuwho]

OKC is going to rehab the current Amtrak Station (former Santa Fe) into a multi-modal transportation hub;

Per NewsOK.com

Renovations Set for Oklahoma City multi-modal hub.



A railroading term with a history to fit the mission figures in the renovation -- and future -- of downtown Oklahoma City's Santa Fe Station.

Plans include laying track for a bypass -- a "shoefly" or "shoofly," depending on your source -- so trains can move while construction workers tunnel beneath the elevated tracks to create a walkway between downtown and Bricktown.



The tunnel is "a huge part" of the $28.4 million transformation of the historic Art Deco depot into a transportation hub for options as varied as bicycles, streetcars and commuter trains, Eric Wenger, Oklahoma City's public works director, told the city council Tuesday.

Architects' designs should be complete by April and construction could begin this summer, Wenger said. Plans are to open the renovated station, with its tunnel leading from inside to a terrace above the Bricktown canal, in two years.

The renovations are intended to enable the station to adapt to new and changing transportation choices, Wenger said.



And that's where the shoofly -- a railroading term dating back more than 100 years -- comes in.

It's defined as a temporary track to permit trains to make their way around repairs.

The Santa Fe Station shoofly is necessary because the BNSF Railway "will not allow us to do work under active tracks," Wenger said.

The tunnel is a complex engineering challenge, requiring work in stages to accommodate the railroad, Wenger said.

Once half the tunnel is finished, trains would switch from shoofly to main line to keep traffic moving as construction continues.

Normally, shoofly tracks are removed.



But Wenger said the Santa Fe Station shoofly would remain in place to accommodate future service such as commuter rail from Norman and Edmond.

Worth noting: City officials say they will begin conversations with Greyhound about restoring intercity bus service to downtown with a stop at the Santa Fe Station. Mayor Mick Cornett said "we were sure inviting them back" when buses were moved from the historic Union Bus Station at Walker and Sheridan avenues to E Reno and Martin Luther King avenues, an industrial area some distance from Bricktown.


An architect's image shows a future tunnel and plaza beneath the Santa Fe Station in downtown Oklahoma City. The plaza will overlook the Bricktown Canal. Drawing PROVIDED BY CITY OF OKLAHOMA CITY