Friends for a Better Boulevard

[Hutch]

Did they bother to redo the EIS when they found out they couldn't locate the new I-40 mainline fully below grade?

Good point and good question. I've seen nothing to indicate any additional NEPA review was conducted. There should be documentation at ODOT showing that they made a determination in compliance with FHWA environmental regulations:

"(b) However, a supplemental EIS will not be necessary where: (1) The changes to the proposed action, new information, or new circumstances result in a lessening of adverse environmental impacts evaluated in the EIS without causing other environmental impacts that are significant and were not evaluated in the EIS"
"(c) Where the Administration is uncertain of the significance of the new impacts, the applicant will develop appropriate environmental studies or, if the Administration deems appropriate, an EA to assess the impacts of the changes, new information, or new circumstances. If, based upon the studies, the Administration determines that a supplemental EIS is not necessary, the Administration shall so indicate in the project file."

I'm sure ODOT will be more than happy to provide the public with all necessary NEPA documentation pertaining to any significant design changes from the alternatives evaluated under the EIS.

[Tier2City]

"(b) However, a supplemental EIS will not be necessary where: (1) The changes to the proposed action, new information, or new circumstances result in a lessening of adverse environmental impacts evaluated in the EIS without causing other environmental impacts that are significant and were not evaluated in the EIS"

So not fully depressing the mainline with attendant increases in noise, cutting off visual connections between downtown and the river, to name but a couple of impacts - was a lessening of adverse environmental impacts?

[Hutch]

Did they bother to redo the EIS when they found out they couldn't locate the new I-40 mainline fully below grade?

Another important point along the same line...

Under the EIS, one of the primary environmental concerns on projects like this is noise impact. Detailed evaluations were done to establish the potential noise impacts for both the new I-40 location and the Boulevard. The results of those evaluations determined that only limited areas along the new I-40 alignment in the area of the Riverside, Carver and Westlawn Garden neighborhoods required mitigation. That was done through the construction of noise barrier walls.

In regard to the change of the I-40 alignment in the vicinity of the Riverside neighborhood not being fully below-grade as originally proposed, it seems likely that raising the highway level would increase the noise levels. As a result, there should be documentation at ODOT demonstrating that any increase in the noise impacts would be equally mitigated by the noise barrier walls.

As it relates to the Boulevard and potentially changing the preferred alternative from bridging the area between Walker and Western to constructing that portion at-grade, note that Section 5 of the EIS regarding noise impacts states:

"Alternative D’s boulevard alignment was modeled at 45 mph from Robinson Avenue to Classen Boulevard and at 60 mph from Classen Boulevard to Agnew Avenue."

Even at high traffic speeds of 45 mph between Robinson and Classen, it was determined that no mitigation efforts were required due to the fact that the area is primarily commercial and industrial. Consideration is now being given by OKC to establish lower speed limits on the at-grade Boulevard section through downtown. In the event the at-grade section of the Boulevard is extended to Western in place of the bridge structure and a traffic circle or other improved design is constructed, it is likely the lower speed limit section would extend through this section as well.

Therefore noise levels and impacts would actually be much lower for the at-grade alternative in comparison to the noise levels and impacts arrived through modeling of the current prefferred alternative under the EIS. As a result, under FHWA NEPA regulations:

"...a supplemental EIS will not be necessary where...The changes to the proposed action...result in a lessening of adverse environmental impacts evaluated in the EIS without causing other environmental impacts that are significant and were not evaluated in the EIS"

So, even disregarding the fact that ODOT likely already evaluated the at-grade environmental impacts of an at-grade Walker to Western section of the Boulevard under the EIS, ODOT would still not necessarily be required to undertake any additional NEPA review for an at-grade alternative.

[Tier2City]

I just sent this to Eric:

Hi Eric, my name is (OKCisOK4Me) and I am a frequent poster on www.okctalk.com. There's been considerable back and forth talks on there about building a roundabout/traffic circle on the west end of the new boulevard project.

I sincerely hope you have considered adding it to the project as it would ease congestion of traffic in the Western/Classen/Reno/Exchange area while also giving future development a realistic chance as opposed to having a second elevated boulevard going through this part of town.

I have provided a visual of the proposed traffic circle by one of our regular posters (who used a computer program to make it look professional (whereas, I used my Samsung Note)).

Also, if you have Facebook, be sure to check out Friends for a Better Boulevard, which has lots of new ideas from the general public that you're not going to see at an every day council meeting.

Thank you for your time & I do hope to hear back from you.

Sincerely,
(OKCisOK4Me)

OKCisOK4me - Did you ever get a response from Eric Wenger?

[CaptDave]

Just sent this to my ward's councilman:


Councilman Ryan,

I am writing to you for the first time in the hope you will strongly consider a new alternate proposal for the boulevard that will replace the I-40 Crosstown elevated freeway. This proposal is a far better design for our city than the least common denominator approach taken by ODOT. The alternate design incorporates an iconic traffic circle at the confluence of Classen, Exchange, and the path of the new boulevard west of the central business district. A link to a presentation of the proposed Market Circle follows:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15393885/Fi...esentation.pdf

Mayor Cornett and the council has stated numerous times a desire for this new boulevard to be something memorable and a catalyst for future private development. ODOT's elevated street design fails on all counts. By eliminating the elevated street proposed by ODOT, I believe the cost will be comparable and Oklahoma City will have an iconic western entrance to the CBD. The proposal includes a design for a large fountain and memorial that will honor Oklahoma's veterans thus becoming a reason for people to visit that area and encourage private development. It also has sufficient room to accommodate future expansion of our new streetcar system to the western edge of downtown.

I believe Oklahoma City has a bright future and has a rare opportunity most cities never get. We can correct mistakes of the past and create a cityscape that will be memorable to visitors, a source of pride for OKC's citizens, and an impetus for others to relocate to our city. We must not merely accept what ODOT wants to thrust upon us; rather we should demand a design that is in the best interest of Oklahoma City.

Thank you for your consideration and I hope you will take the opportunity to look at the proposal.

(I am not the designer of this traffic circle and memorial. I am a member of a group called "Friends for a Better Boulevard" on Facebook where another member posted this for all of us to consider.)

[Urban Pioneer]

I suspect that the Blvd will be coming up today since Ed Shadid is in the panel.

The film festival concludes on Sunday, June 24 at 2pm with a second screening of Urbanized. The screening will be immediately followed by a panel discussion entitled “Milestones vs. Millstones” moderated George McQuistion. Panelists include Leslie Batchelor, Urban Land Institute & the Center for Economic Development Law; Ed Shadid, OKC Ward 2 City Councilman; Blair Humphreys, Institute for Quality Communities; and Richard McKown, City Center Development, LLC.


General admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students and $5 for Museum members. For more information on tickets call405-278-8224 or visit www.okcmoa.com. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is located downtown at 415 Couch Drive.

[Spartan]

Did they bother to redo the EIS when they found out they couldn't locate the new I-40 mainline fully below grade?

No, either it was not redone, or the new one is secret. I also believe that ODOT similarly bastardized and violated the heck out of the EIS for I-235 and afterward (during I-40 relocation planning) was touting, "Oh this time, this time, we want to follow the EIS."

This is one of many reasons I keep saying to my friends on here that we need an in-person pow wow over some drinks or something, very soon. There are things that need to be gone over that I don't want on this public forum. I'm including this note on here for anyone who passionately likes the Better Boulevard proposal to send me a PM if you want to be involved. I can't promise that you'll run the show for us but in my experience these group are extremely democratic and open, unlike some folks who won't be named on here ha.

[OKCisOK4me]

OKCisOK4me - Did you ever get a response from Eric Wenger?

Uh, yes, sorry. Basically he said that he's had the suggestion pointed out to him by other concerned citizens...which was basically the jist of the conversation.

[jedicurt]

i love this presentation minus a few small points... i think it was spartan that has already pointed out the problem with western... it makes it rough for that post thunder game traffic until all of them just end up taking the boulevard all the way back to I-40 for the westbound traffic... the other issue i see is i almost wouldn't have ellison go through... i want to say clegern shouldn't as well, but i'm more open to it because of how it fits in with the rest of the development... but i think having ellison and Klein open just makes too many stops coming up to the circle and one should be removed... seeing as how ellison dies at reno in this example anyways... i think it should be the road to go and keep klein open... but just my opinion.

Reno was always the obstacle that i had when trying to picture a circle in this location... i don't know why i never though of just dropping it to 2nd street for a few blocks... guess you spend so much time trying to think outside of the box that you forget that the best answer might be a simple one found in the box

[Tier2City]

Seems to me like the EIS was for the boulevard to be at grade through Western. From Figure 3.4, Preferred Alternative on page 3-17 of the Final Environmental Impact Statement November 2001 (http://www.40forward.com/pdfs/feis/05.pdf):

[Spartan]

Tier2, what do you make of the onramps remaining in place west of Western on that map?

[OKCisOK4me]

I, myself, don't like it. They need to level that whole earthen portion of old I-40 and beautify it with a real Future Boulevard. Not, halfass it with existing crappy road structure...

[rcjunkie]

I may have missed it, but what, if any, changes are planned for Reno Ave. once the new boulevard is built/open.

[Hutch]

Seems to me like the EIS was for the boulevard to be at grade through Western. From Figure 3.4, Preferred Alternative on page 3-17 of the Final Environmental Impact Statement November 2001 (http://www.40forward.com/pdfs/feis/05.pdf):

Interesting...it does appear from that official image that there was an at-grade Boulevard alternative between Walker and Western.

Additional insight into ODOT's position on the Boulevard issue can be gained from an article in the Gazette from just a year and a half ago in September 2010:

Oklahoma Gazette: This Boulevard is on a Diet

From the article:

"We began with some designs at each connection on each side," said David Streb, director of engineering for ODOT. "We began a little bit of design work at (E.K.) Gaylord (Boulevard) and where the future boulevard will come under the north-south railroad. We have begun some preliminary design work in those areas. The meat of the boulevard from Gaylord all the way out to the Agnew area, there has been no design done. We are very close to the process of soliciting consultants to begin that design process."

"In the original document, if you are coming up Byers, you're in the boulevard," Streb said. "You had access to theaters and Bricktown Ballpark. The drawback to that was that Lincoln was then cut off. You couldn't get from Lincoln to Byers. The city really had concerns about that, and frankly, that's because I don't think anyone anticipated the growth that has happened there. You now have a bridge that goes up and over the new interstate."

The boulevard's bookends are the only established designs for the project. The main section, or "meat" as ODOT calls it, is still to be determined.

"There hasn't been much discussion about the design," Streb said.


Clearly ODOT has wide latitude design-wise with the Boulevard with regard to the alternatives presented in the EIS.

[SouthwestAviator]

Great to see that this idea for better Boulevard design is getting so much traction!

Could anyone post pictures if available of the Layton designed war memorial arch proposed for the old Lincoln Blvd Median? Also, we are looking for photos of historic Blvds here in OKC and traffic circles that used to exist. Classen, Grand, etc.

Also, I heard that ODOT is aware of this blog and the Facebook Page. They are eyeing whats going on in preparation for their upcomming presentation before City Council.

[soonerliberal]

I am loving the traction this is getting from forums and certain journalists. My huge question is:

Is there currently an active, organized campaign to pressure both city leaders and ODOT? The Facebook group and OKCTalk are good organizing mechanisms and some awesome alternatives have been offered. However, if the message isn't getting to the intended targets with the amount of intensity that the status quo offers, then it could be all for nothing. It would be nice to organize a targeted letter-writing campaign to both city and state interests, along with several op-eds to all local media outlets from several different perspectives presenting a consistent message of the alternative - particularly towards those who are inclined to support the status quo.

Of course, this could already be happening and I could have totally missed it, but wanted to raise the point just in case.

[SouthwestAviator]

Right now, a few individuals have been busy trying to directly educate the City of OKC City Council and expose as much information about how bad it could be if ODOT is allowed to use conventional highway design techniques. *Undoubtedly, this forum, the Facebook Page, and Steve Lackmeyer's blog OKC Central, are the easiest direct ways to reach a broad audience that might have concern.

However, there has been discussion by some of everything from a full-fledged organized campaign with full-blown marketing to actually suing ODOT over their obvious environmental and public education discrepancies in this project.

We have had a direct offer from a marketing company to help propagate a campaign with well-designed ads. *If your interested in helping out in some way, hit me up at friendsforabetterboulevard@gmail.com

[Snowman]

I still would be shocked if they get it anything terribly different than the current plan (note, my preference would be the section coming from the west merge into California and the section from the east become 3rd-ish), ODOT projects within a year are hard to not feasible to change even if they want to. Plus if by some miracle we do sell ODOT on a different plan we need the federal officials to approve the plan to be changed.

[OKCisOK4me]

That's what I'm thinking too, Snowman. I wish we could have gotten this ball rolling a little earlier. I know I'm stubborn, but ODOT? I could forward this info or this thread to them and they'd probably take it to the bathroom and wipe with it...

[Urban Pioneer]

Ironically, your both wrong. There is time to change it. If you read what Hutch and other have been posting about the environmental, they can do whatever they want even at this stage.

They came to our Subcommittee meeting and stated that the design work is just now starting on the "meat" in the middle.

Choosing an at grade option or anything else reasonable would involve a 30 day public review, but is simply notifying the FWHA that they chose a different option that has already been fully evaluated for environmental mitigation.

They want you to think that there is no time. They want that idea propagated.

[OKCisOK4me]

Well, hell, in this case, I love being wrong! ;-) Even if it's just a boring ol traffic circle with nothing in there because they couldn't get enough Federal Funding (not like we can budget the costs anyway), I'd still love to see it come to fruition!

[Spartan]

They want you to think that there is no time. They want that idea propagated.

Ding ding ding. We have a winner

[Tier2City]

Thanks to Steve for reposting his article from September 4, 2010 about how the boulevard was reduced to 4 lanes:

FYI to Eric Wenger
http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/20...o-eric-wenger/

Some key quotes:

“We’re not going to build something the city doesn’t want.' - Gary Ridley

“It needs to be a place and not just a street where we see how fast we can get cars around.” - Mayor Cornett

[BoulderSooner]

Thanks to Steve for reposting his article from September 4, 2010 about how the boulevard was reduced to 4 lanes:

FYI to Eric Wenger
http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/20...o-eric-wenger/

Some key quotes:

“We’re not going to build something the city doesn’t want.' - Gary Ridley

“It needs to be a place and not just a street where we see how fast we can get cars around.” - Mayor Cornett

in fairness i don't think the blvd was actually reduced in lanes at all .... it was going to be 3 lanes each direction with no street parking and now it is going to be 2 lanes each way with parking on both sides ...... either way it is 6 lanes wide

[CuatrodeMayo]

However, the way the curbs (should) bump out at the intersections would mean pedestrians are crossing 4 lanes rather than 6.