I think the bigger problem will be people using the roundabout as a drop off for scissortail/skating rink, you know it will happen.

Totally agree,

They will need to keep this roundabout free of icy road conditions, especially if it will be used as a drop off. Good observation, Shawnw.

One of a few reasons to add the roundabout may have simply been to slow traffic down before entering into a heavy pedestrian area between the CC & park. It will help with traffic flow in & out of the parking lot as well, but I bet it creates a nice natural slow down of traffic coming from the south off the ramp.

Also, the potential "drop off" area in the roundabout will at least we be coming north to south so vision shouldn't be a major issue I'd guess.

guys my apologies. You can see I'm not in OKC and I recall (prob from long ago) that Sheilds was the exit. IMO it should be but I see robinson is indeed the exit.Thanks!!

Eastbound I-40 exits to Shields, and westbound I-40 exits to Robinson. So that may have been what tripped you up.



And second, why was shields overbuilt with so much capacity yet not the main entry into the city from I-40??


Before the interstates were built, Shields carried US-77, which was the main road between Oklahoma City and Dallas. That explains why it was built so wide in the first place, though you'd think that now that all the traffic it used to carry is now on I-35, they would maybe consider narrowing it. Guess they've never had a reason to consider spending the money to do so.

excellent scott, thanks!!

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/convention032821a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/convention032821b.jpg

Is..... that a truck using the circle as a drop off already?

Who could have predicted such a thing...

This is a fantastic podcast about roundabouts:

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/roundabouts/


Among many people that speak on the topic is the Mayor of Carmel, IN (just north of Indy) which has implemented scores of roundabouts and they are now down to a handful of signalized intersections with the goal of removing them all but one.

thanks. added to my podcast queue...

While I was neither a big proponent nor opponent of the convention center, I must say it is extremely impressive, beautifully executed. The genius of MAPS 3 is finally coming into view, and how its component projects (convention center, streetcar, park) work together to create synergy. We will look back on the ROI of these investments as having paid off by orders of magnitude in the future.

^

The best thing about the convention center is how it has brought the Omni and development to Scissortail Park.

Imagine if it had gone elsewhere; the park would be in the middle of absolute nothingness.

As it is, there is lots of life down there even before we've had any private development, with Social Capital being the one great exception.

Rode the bike lane/roundabout southbound on Robinson. Looks like the bus has a little trouble, but maybe I saw it wrong.



https://youtu.be/je4VTbKCyUs?t=56

shortcut to just before the roundabout:
https://youtu.be/je4VTbKCyUs?t=56

Thanks for sharing Shawnw...

Sunday, April 25th, we got caught in the traffic right at Robinson & S. 15th Street as you prepare to enter the area formerly known as Hud Cap Alley. At first, the traffic stalled for about 10 minutes traveling north bound; then it broke loose. The traffic was rather intimidating with the spins and burning rubber turns right in the middle of the intersection on Robinson. Quite a scene on S. Robinson intersection, you could smell the rubber burning from the tires. Immediately thought to myself, does these characters have anything better to do on a Sunday (around) 9 p.m.

Man, this was a Twilight Zone moment for me (LOL). A guy tried to motion for me to get involved in the action. 'Come on old school he shouted, show me what you got.' Got the hell out of there. The smell of the burning rubber was IMO a waste. The groups participating seemed more on a road high as opposed to a drug high. Reminded me of the late 80s when the baseball-softball tournaments filled Wiley Post and Wheeler Parks with a caravan of cars parading throughout the area.

Taught never to use my vehicle (racing the engine) for show. Only way I could describe this was a group of individuals spinning and making wheelies right in the middle of S. 15th & Robinson intersection. Damn the lights, watch out for the cars--traffic lights were completely ignored. It was a spectacle to say the least. There were loads of youngsters all packed into cars--sure they were having fun; the kind of fun bordering dangerously if just one of those vehicles had lost control--you could have easily predicted a 3 to 4 vehicle accident.

Well anyway, it gave me the opportunity (once getting past the drama) to get a better look at the convention center round-about once past the road-engine burning debacle.

Try visiting the area on a Sunday. Maybe if they could get Wiley Post Park's renovation completed and opened, it might relieve this road exhibition.

wow shawn, your film is very nice. PLEASE continue to make films as you bike around. Downtown looked amazing and you didn't even show the skyline. ...

I have to say, the images from your film is what I recall during my visit. Very big city feeling, definitely NOT the OKC I grew up in *but definitely the OKC I knew always had the potential to be. ...

Thanks, I just have a gopro mounted to my bike. Sometimes I just push record to capture the area, sometimes I have it running on a loop and when I'm looking through it I see something I want to post.

There's a playlist of the various bike videos I've decided to post (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy8B6QWiimhmZknmgMLMqzh8ScfgR1qTl) that I add to from time to time.

Downtown looked amazing and you didn't even show the skyline.

A video at street level is such a better way to understand a city than pictures/videos of the skyline, which fades into the background for most locals in their daily lives. I'll add to the call for more bike videos. :)

Rode the bike lane/roundabout southbound on Robinson. Looks like the bus has a little trouble, but maybe I saw it wrong.


Roundabouts are designed with a sloping curb (called an "apron") on the inside specifically to accommodate vehicles with a large turning radius, like buses. It's a little hard to tell because it's dark, but the bus may have simply gone up on the apron, which is intended behavior.

The lot south of the convention center seems to be a pay lot 24/7.

I was down there yesterday morning and at 11AM they had the gates down and were charging.

It's $2/hour and $10 maximum. There were maybe 5 cars in there even though the park and especially the splash pad directly across were very busy.

That's a relatively new development in my observation

That matches the payment for the parking garage.

Looks like they are adding a bunch of signage around the convention center plaza:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/convention062021a.jpg

Was wondering what all those empty pedestals would be for

Weird that they are adding them after construction was finished.

Agree, probably just covid related supply chain issues for sign components.

There are a bunch of these now scattered around the outside, but the screens haven't been activated:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/convention011122a.jpg

Finally, the footings have been there empty forever

So how has the Convention Center doing? Are they getting many conventions? What are some of the larger ones that are coming?

https://okcconventioncenter.com › events-calendar


There's a lot going on.

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This is a Huge Get for OKC. - People from around the Globe will attend. At the 21C Museum / Hotel. They rotate their meetings with Canada. You can google them and see what's going on. They have field excursions, A banquet at the Oklahoma History Center and much more.

nm

https://okcconventioncenter.com › events-calendar


There's a lot going on.

These are sorta uninspiring. Most are Oklahoma-specific trade orgs.

These are sorta uninspiring. Most are Oklahoma-specific trade orgs.

Yes a lot are, then there are a few that are not.

But looking at the dates, practically busy most of the time.

These are sorta uninspiring. Most are Oklahoma-specific trade orgs.

Is that unusual? Do most other convention centers typically have mostly national or international conventions? Do you even know?

I am very excited to see the Van Gough exhibit here in December: https://www.vangoghoklahoma.com/

Is that unusual? Do most other convention centers typically have mostly national or international conventions? Do you even know?

I don't know anything. Just vibes.

These are sorta uninspiring. Most are Oklahoma-specific trade orgs.

But are they coming in and spending the night or is it just a one day thing than they all head back home? Which ones are bringing in people from all over the country?

I am very excited to see the Van Gough exhibit here in December: https://www.vangoghoklahoma.com/

That looks awesome!

I am very excited to see the Van Gough exhibit here in December: https://www.vangoghoklahoma.com/

Ive heard this is a pretty big disappointment. Expensive ticket and then its literally just one room. Weird thing is a see it on advertised on social media all the time.

Not to be a wet blanket, but it was in Chicago when we were there a year ago and a lot of the reviews were that it was mostly hype. But, it generated huge response there and I suspect it will here, too.

Not to be a wet blanket, but it was in Chicago when we were there a year ago and a lot of the reviews were that it was mostly hype. But, it generated huge response there and I suspect it will here, too.

it was on a segment of Hard Knocks last night as well .. as it is currently in Detroit ..

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/convention121022a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/convention1210222b.jpg

Ive heard this is a pretty big disappointment. Expensive ticket and then its literally just one room. Weird thing is a see it on advertised on social media all the time.

Haven't seen the one here, but went in Dallas and it was a great experience. Being in one room doesn't change the show. In Dallas it was in multiple rooms, but was the same video experience.... just more people could experience it. It wasn't like you go from room to room seeing different video. This isn't a Van Gough art show and not a gallery. People need to see it before criticizing it. And, it won't be for everyone because people value and like different things. If you go expecting it to be a disappointment, it likely will be.

It has been a great success virtually everywhere as has been this whole genre of visual experience.

Haven't seen the one here, but went in Dallas and it was a great experience. Being in one room doesn't change the show. In Dallas it was in multiple rooms, but was the same video experience.... just more people could experience it. It wasn't like you go from room to room seeing different video. This isn't a Van Gough art show and not a gallery. People need to see it before criticizing it. And, it won't be for everyone because people value and like different things. If you go expecting it to be a disappointment, it likely will be.

It has been a great success virtually everywhere as has been this whole genre of visual experience.

Yeah, I went to it in Milwaukee and thought it was awesome, so I'll be going to the show here too. It is multiple rooms. There is a "holding room" that is dark and streams variations of themes of his paintings on the ceilings, walls, and floor; there is a history room that has dozens of of paintings and talks about Van Gogh's life/biography; and then there is the main exhibit, which is a large room. In that room, it's a ~30 minute show with "live" paintings projected on the wall, rotating between various times and themes, and accompanied by music.

It's not for everyone, just like an art museum is not for everyone, but I thought it was definitely worth it.

I had pretty well written it off based on comments I saw here, but one of my friends went last night and said it was a must-see so I don't know who to believe now haha.

I had pretty well written it off based on comments I saw here, but one of my friends went last night and said it was a must-see so I don't know who to believe now haha.

Definitely the person you know with first-hand experience, as compared to people you may never meet on a message board (as great as the board info is).

Definitely the person you know with first-hand experience, as compared to people you may never meet on a message board (as great as the board info is).

Mainly I just want an excuse to see the convention center, work in the O&G industry and have been disappointed that our major conferences have still been at the fairgrounds.

I still haven't seen what out of state conventions were held here, that did not formerly use the Myriad.

Holt posted that visitors to the new CC was up 76% in 2022 from previous year. Noting that the building was in use 317 days.

I still haven't seen what out of state conventions were held here, that did not formerly use the Myriad.

I started to write a long rant but instead I'm just going to "Like" your comment.

I haven't either, but I know of at least a couple that came from out of state. The bigger question is, why does that matter?

If there is a convention here, and people come from other parts of the state, that helps OKC. If a convention is held here that brings people from OKC only (not likely), that means our convention center is providing a venue for events in our city.

Seriously, though, we just had a pandemic, man. Conventions are only now coming back. And if you can't understand why having something other than an addition to a former arena that is actually dedicated to events like this is better, you are being pedantic.

This reminds me of arguments suggesting that rail transit has to make a profit to be valuable.

I haven't either, but I know of at least a couple that came from out of state. The bigger question is, why does that matter?

If there is a convention here, and people come from other parts of the state, that helps OKC. If a convention is held here that brings people from OKC only (not likely), that means our convention center is providing a venue for events in our city.

Seriously, though, we just had a pandemic, man. Conventions are only now coming back. And if you can't understand why having something other than an addition to a former arena that is actually dedicated to events like this is better, you are being pedantic.

This reminds me of arguments suggesting that rail transit has to make a profit to be valuable.

Agreed. The Cox Convention Center was outdated. Even if the new Convention Center only gets events that were held there (which is definitely not the case) then it keeps them from going to Tulsa or someplace out of state by being more modern and have more area for expansion or growth of events.

The Myriad could not be expanded in its current state, so it is a win for OKC either way.

It's going to take time b/c so many conventions were put on hold during the early stages of the pandemic. The new
Oklahoma City convention center is having an opportunity to test the mechanics associated with its operations.

If the new NBA arena is constructed on the Prairie Surf Media Studios' site, the exterior will complement that
of the new convention center and items like underground parking and the 100,000 square feet of exhibit space can be salvaged and used for spillover for the new convention center.

Why does it matter? The simple answer is honesty and integrity. At some point we have to move beyond the lies of "economic benefit" and "job creation". No amount of convention growth would ever cover the cost of construction and construction jobs are only temporary.

It should have been enough to just say that the people of OKC should have a nice facility to attend functions in, and leave it at that. Why does someone need to be lied to before they will support something?

Why does it matter? The simple answer is honesty and integrity. At some point we have to move beyond the lies of "economic benefit" and "job creation". No amount of convention growth would ever cover the cost of construction and construction jobs are only temporary.

It should have been enough to just say that the people of OKC should have a nice facility to attend functions in, and leave it at that. Why does someone need to be lied to before they will support something?

But it is also asinine to judge a CC that opened during a pandemic by the first year of activity. I mean, I know education in Oklahoma is deplorable, but most people on here should be smart enough to know this. If they don't, then this state does not need them making up our populace. In what world should the ROI be insanely high after not even 1 post-Covid year?

Why does it matter? The simple answer is honesty and integrity. At some point we have to move beyond the lies of "economic benefit" and "job creation". No amount of convention growth would ever cover the cost of construction and construction jobs are only temporary.

It should have been enough to just say that the people of OKC should have a nice facility to attend functions in, and leave it at that. Why does someone need to be lied to before they will support something?

if OKC didn't build a new CC they would have starting losing existing conventions ...

and your point is not actually relevant at all ... OKC built this tax free for the betterment on the city ..

^Absolutely. I haven't looked into the numbers myself, but I would be shocked if convention business has made it back up to pre-pandemic levels yet. Some of the yearly conventions I attended have folded and others are still on a smaller scale than 2019. Hard to get momentum back up again, but I'm sure it'll get there for most. As much as I appreciate the advances in digital access to things brought by the covid years, I also appreciate in-person functions even more now.

As others are noting, it's also true that convention centers are an arms race and you have to keep investing just to keep what you have. Tulsa has taken a softer approach by renovating and expanding our exiting convention center and our events pale in comparison to OKC's. Our center is mostly booked with local galas and fundraisers with few major public events and almost no trade shows. The big events and trade shows are what bring people to town and contribute to the local economy. Hosting local galas and events is important for the community, but doesn't directly affect our city's bottom line unless a few people are buying hotel rooms downtown for the night.

I really think OKC's convention center will pay dividends going forward. It's already making an impact for sure.

OKC is hosting the AZA mid year conf later this year i believe for the first time .

if OKC didn't build a new CC they would have starting losing existing conventions ...

and your point is not actually relevant at all ... OKC built this tax free for the betterment on the city ..

The Convention Center was built debt-free not tax-free. It was 100% paid for by taxes. Let me know when the City collects $240 million in taxes from out-of-town visitors.

Intersting that when CNU held their national convention in OKC last year they had it at the Sheraton and not the Convention Center. Of course, that could have been a Covid hold-over issue.

The Convention Center was built debt-free not tax-free. It was 100% paid for by taxes. Let me know when the City collects $240 million in taxes from out-of-town visitors.

Intersting that when CNU held their national convention in OKC last year they had it at the Sheraton and not the Convention Center. Of course, that could have been a Covid hold-over issue.

Your last line is why it's silly to complain about the project so early. Like, this is a porridge where ROI won't be determined for a decade or longer yet here we are, a year or so after opening with people moaning and crying about it possibly maybe not making money after 1 year in a Covid world.

The Convention Center was built debt-free not tax-free. It was 100% paid for by taxes. Let me know when the City collects $240 million in taxes from out-of-town visitors.

Intersting that when CNU held their national convention in OKC last year they had it at the Sheraton and not the Convention Center. Of course, that could have been a Covid hold-over issue.

Are you going to be happy if we show you that OKC has collected and continues to collect 240 million from out-of-town visitors or are you wanting all 240 million to be directly from the convention center since hotels, restaurants, shopping can and is also attributed to many other things other than just the CC.

The thing is this. The CC is an economic engine that is simply 1 piece of the pie. Just like both myraid gardens and scissortail park, bricktown, and OKC Thunder are all large contributors to the pie as well but none simply account for most of it. They all work together to drive that engine and its pretty short sighted of you to throw out such blatantly false assumptions against the CC just bc you don't like the investment.

Let me be clear. I was, am, and will be 100% in favor of the convention center. It is okay to have nice things and I don't need a financial impact statement to sell me on it.

My issue is that the financial impact analysis are all fraudulent and if you are relying on them to sway your own opinion then you need to realize you are being lied to in order to gain your support. That's it...that is my only point. If you are fine with being lied to then so be it. I'm not fine with it, even if it is a project I support.