The highway does not have to be completely closed for construction because the new highway is being built on a new alignment several blocks south of the existing Crosstown. This allows for less interruptions for drivers. Once traffic is put on the new highway, drivers should expect temporary lane shifts near May Ave. and Lincoln Blvd. (Both ends of the corridor) as construction continues in order to complete tie-ins.
A lot has been done to preserve cultural and historical resources during the environmental clearance process by working closely with the Citizens and Technical Advisory Committees. These Committees were involved in all aspects of the decisions regarding the project. As indicated elsewhere on this site, there were representatives on the Committees from the numerous groups, including the Riverside Neighborhood, the Latino Community Development Agency and the Little Flower Church. The environmental process identified resources within the alignment that required special consideration. For instance, within the Final Environmental Impact Statement there were 14 structures identified as being of a historic nature in this corridor. Measures were taken to appropriately photograph and document these properties.
Assuming full funding and no significant delays beyond our control, construction is expected to be sufficiently complete for traffic to be placed on the new interstate in 2012.
This is a common misconception. Construction of the new Crosstown is not destroying Union station.
In fact, there are currently two active rail lines located just south of the Union Station. The remainder of the former Union Station yard is currently unusable due to the fact that the railroad companies have removed many of the tracks and any other remaining tracks are unserviceable.
The northernmost of the two active lines is operated by the Union Pacific (UP). This line will be depressed, along with the roadway, from approximately Santa Fe Ave. to approximately Western Ave. and maintain somewhat the current alignment. The UP line will be far enough to the south to allow for a second track to be installed in the future in the event that passenger rail activities ever return to Union Station.
Just to the south of the UP line is an east-west line belonging to the BNSF Railroad. This line will be removed and the trains diverted to the south of the North Canadian River onto an existing east-west line referred to as the Packingtown Lead, which ODOT is updating. Utilization of this line and the existing north-south BNSF mainline in conjunction with improvements to the Flynn Yard will ensure continued service for the area. This work will improve the connectivity from the area of Will Rogers World Airport to the Santa Fe Station, which is the chosen Oklahoma City passenger rail facility.
It should be noted that as a result of this project, ultimately, at-grade railroad crossings are being eliminated at the following locations: UP at Byers Ave., BNSF at Santa Fe Ave., UP at Santa Fe Ave., UP at Shartel Ave., BNSF at Shartel Ave., UP at SW 7th, UP at Western Ave., BNSF at Western Ave. (near SW 7th), BNSF at McKinley, and UP at Pennsylvania Ave. Additionally, train traffic will be greatly reduced at the following BNSF crossings: SW 15th, Sulzberger Ave. and Indiana Ave. Existing BNSF rail crossings on the Packingtown Lead near SW 20th are being updated and improved with crossing signals and gates: Robinson Ave., Walker Ave., Western Ave., McKinley, Kentucky, Pennsylvania Ave. and Agnew. These changes will all reduce the chances for vehicle-train interaction and increase public safety.
The situations of the two metropolitan areas vary by a substantial amount. The 2000 census shows a population density of 255.1 persons per square mile in Oklahoma City, and a population density of 573.6 persons per square mile in Dallas. Congestion within the Dallas metropolitan area is significantly higher than that experienced in Oklahoma City. A fixed guideway - rail - transit system works in areas of high demand with a localized destination areas, such as concentrated business districts. Oklahoma City has avoided having a high concentration by allowing growth to occur across the city.
Some proponents of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system claim that it has a daily ridership of up to 43,000 per day. If the ridership for Oklahoma City would be similar in regards to population, then the system would carry 8,921 per day. Today, the I-40 Crosstown Expressway carries an annual average daily traffic of 119,600. Even if each of those almost 9,000 riders came from traffic utilizing the Crosstown, the facility would still be carrying in excess of 110,000 vehicles per day. That facility was designed to carry 76,000 per day.
While the disposition of the Union Station is not within the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, please know that ODOT is giving considerations for rail transit. There have been numerous studies completed regarding that issue [1992 Oklahoma Fixed Guideway Transportation Study, the 1995 Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA) major investment study of transit corridor linkages entitled “The Link”, the COTPA 2001 Long Range Transit Plan, the 2025 Oklahoma City Area Regional Transportation Study Plan, the January 2002 revised version of the 2001 High Speed Passenger Rail Feasibility Study and the 2002 Oklahoma High-Speed Rail Initiative - Oklahoma City to Tulsa High-Speed Rail Corridor Cost Study], and there are no current plans or recommendations for the use of Union Station as a passenger rail facility.
Currently, the passenger rail facility serving Oklahoma City is the Santa Fe Station located adjacent to downtown and Bricktown on the BNSF mainline just three blocks east and six blocks north of Union Station. However, the I-40 project is being designed with sufficient room for a second track to be installed next to Union Station at some point in the future if passenger rail service is ever returned to Union Station.
The environmental clearance process studied that question in-depth. There are several significant problems with attempting to rebuild the Crosstown where it is. The existing interstate alignment is experiencing a great deal of nearby expansion and development. With the proximity of a number of features such as Ford Center on the north and the OG&E facilities on the south, there is not room for widening of the existing corridor to accommodate the necessary capacity.
Also, a reconstruction of the Crosstown would take far longer to complete than building a new roadway. Work would have to be done in several phases, and would really inconvenience traffic along this corridor. By building a new roadway, construction will be able to proceed at a faster pace and cause fewer traffic delays, and be the best use of taxpayer funds.
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