Tulsa's exciting rail possibilities

[nathanm]

What, honestly, would be the upshot to a Tampa/Orlando route?  Up and down the east coast of FLA makes much more sense.  The route he's refusing crosses a pretty barren area.

I take it you've never driven I-4 between Tampa and Orlando?

It's called a starter route. You try it out, see how it goes, and if it works, you can extend to Daytona and Jacksonville and eventually run that line along the I-95 corridor. (or along I-75 and Florida's Turnpike, which is also a regularly congested route in my experience)

[nathanm]

And in other news: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2011/02/25-florida-senators-rebuke-rick-scott-over-bullet-train.html

Looks like Florida might be getting that high speed rail after all..

[Townsend]

Questions persist over timing of downtown OKC streetcar system


http://newsok.com/questions-persist-over-timing-of-downtown-okc-streetcar-system/article/3544768

[ZYX]

Bridge was approved today, construction to begin soon!

http://m.newson6.com/LocalNewsStory.html?pid=2264&parenturl=http%3a%2f%2fkotv.com%2fapi%2fgetFeed.aspx%3fid%3d4%26date%3d20110304&itemurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.newson6.com%2fglobal%2fstory.asp%3fS%3d14203108%26clienttype%3drssstory

[rdj]

Tulsa World has renderings up.

[carltonplace]

Tulsa World has renderings up.

Here is the picture and the linky to the story



http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110307_11_0_hrimgs892309

[ZYX]

I hope the final renderings are much better...

[Townsend]

I hope the final renderings are much better...

In what way?

[ZYX]

In what way?

In ways that the bridge will look more than just barely functional. Add some color, lights, I don't know. It doesn't have to be a suspension bridge, I just want it to be a trademark for the city. That's all.

[Townsend]

In ways that the bridge will look more than just barely functional. Add some color, lights, I don't know. It doesn't have to be a suspension bridge, I just want it to be a trademark for the city. That's all.

I'm with you.  That'd be a plus.

[SXSW]

In ways that the bridge will look more than just barely functional. Add some color, lights, I don't know. It doesn't have to be a suspension bridge, I just want it to be a trademark for the city. That's all.

I doubt those are the actual plans, but rather it just shows how the different components will come together on one bridge.  For one thing the bridge will have 3 lanes and not 4 as depicted in the rendering.

I'm still hoping for something like Minneapolis' I-35 bridge with a slick LED lighting scheme:

[carltonplace]

In ways that the bridge will look more than just barely functional. Add some color, lights, I don't know. It doesn't have to be a suspension bridge, I just want it to be a trademark for the city. That's all.

Agreed, that rendering is fugly...and that poor lady and all of the people on that train have no idea they are about to fall into the water.

Hopefully we can make a $64M bridge look less like a $12M bridge. 

[Townsend]

Hopefully we can make a $64M bridge look less like a $12M bridge. 

My guess would be it depends on how many people are still on the take.  If less people take their cut, maybe we can get a nice bridge.

[Red Arrow]

and all of the people on that train have no idea they are about to fall into the water.

Don't forget vehicles on the top deck. 

[bacjz00]

I hope with this bridge they address the way that the Westbound IDL Ramp merges with the 244/75 South at the SW corner of the IDL.  At the bottom of that ramp, the radius of the curved ramp steepens dramatically and very often I see vehicles fail to stay in the merge lane on the inside.  Often they come out of their lane in front of vehicles traveling southbound on the West IDL leg headed toward 75 South.

Does anyone else see this as a problem that should be fixed?