The transportation stimulus package recently issued by President Barack Obama is fueling a debate over whether Oklahoma should invest in highway infrastructure or high-speed railways. Oklahoma received $465 million as part of the federal stimulus package for transportation projects. Of that money, $357 million is being put towards the state highway system.
Obama’s new stimulus has allotted about $8.1 billion to spend on the high-speed rail and mass transit systems, but states still are waiting on the guidelines to apply for the funding, according to Gary Ridley, director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Ridley said the state will not make a decision on whether to apply until the guidelines are released, which he hopes will be in June.
“I think that as time goes on and population density increases, you will see more movement for mass transit of some kind,” Ridley said. “Everyone needs to understand with mass transit, it has to be convenient, dependable, affordable and subsidized.”
Despite a growing population density, construction the new I-40 cross-town continues, an expressway that may replace a portion of the unused Union Station in Oklahoma City.
This, according to Tom Elmore, executive director of the North American Transport Institute, is a step in the wrong direction.
“Here’s the reality: No state is, at this moment, more “shovel ready” than Oklahoma for advanced rail development,” Elmore said in an e-mail. “State government here owns nearly 900 miles of railway, mostly radiating out from the last grand urban rail passenger center in the West remaining unused today with all its original yard space intact.”
This potential, Elmore said, can be tapped to boost the economy. A new high-speed rail transit through Oklahoma would create more jobs, lower highway maintenance costs and increase downtown traffic.
The project would be expensive, estimated at about $2 billion. Plans have the line running from Tulsa to OKC to Dallas. Some plans have the railway expanding in the future as far north as Kansas City, Missouri, and as far south as Houston.
Ridley said ODOT has no intention of destroying the Union Station, but the construction of the I-40 cross-town would require demolition of a small portion of the station. This small portion, according to Rep. Wallace Collins, D-Norman, would make a huge difference.
“When [ODOT] says they won’t destroy it, they really mean they won’t destroy the whole thing,” Collins said. “They’ll leave a track or two and 1000 feet of rail siding. That’s really not very much.”
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TAG 3 years ago
I vote for high speed rail. If I could travel to OKC to Dallas in less then 2 1/2 hours then why not. I could stay in downtown and its economically viable. We are going to need it eventually. The real question is "will Oklahoma give up this amazing opportunity to place the infrastructure there or not." Europe is so far ahead of us, why can't we be as innovative as them. It really shows me the loss of American ingenuity. Maybe we can keep driving our big F-150's around because those are so economically viable somehow?
nathanboots 3 years ago
For anyone who cares about public transportation in Oklahoma: Jackie Cooper is Oklahoma county's (the county which OKC is a part of) representative on the department of transportation.
Conflict of interest? Well, damn, if I owned car dealerships and car accesory dealerships I would certainly not want any semblance of reliable public transportation, either.
nathanboots 3 years ago
Furthermore, Gary Ridley is the former executive director of Oklahoma Asphalt Paving Association. So, car dealership owner plus Asphalt industry= oklahoma transportation. Is it any wonder public transportation is scorned as a method of transportation suitable only for socialists and the indigent??
Come to think of it, it's unfortunate the author of this article didn't research Ridley's connections for this article. Or the rest of the ODOT, for that matter.