Innovation Link

[Plutonic Panda]

Just because something functions at some level doesn't mean it's functioning correctly.

I'd say this corridor is functioning at a pretty good level. As Johhny said not everything has to be walkable and I use term knowing the context of how many urbanists here view it. I'm not scared to know I have a sidewalk and know that's walkable enough for me. For others they need more security to feel safe walking. That's all fine and dandy but there has to be corridors like Lincoln that move cars through surface streets without this ridiculous new urbanism aspect applied to every square of inch of the city. I would be in favor of some additional measures for Lincoln to make walking a little easier but overall I think the road should be made eight lanes with a flex bus lane that has restrictions on car use during rush hours.

Add some pedestrian overpasses and wider sidewalks. Other than that leave Lincoln BLVD the way it is. It moves traffic great.

[Plutonic Panda]

How does this go from talking about improvements to this district, part of which would be walk-ability, to being about "everywhere"?

Because sh!t like this

ODOT's shrine to the automobile, Lincoln Ave, really hurts this area. It is basically an at grade interstate that's swallowing the entire Capitol complex - destroying any walkability, bike-ability, and general sense of place on the near east side.

is prevalent on almost every thread on this site. Be it NWE, Yukon, Moore, Norman, Chisholm Creek, MWC, etc, there is always some poster whining about the area not being walkable enough when an overwhelming majority of people in OKC probably don't give two sh!ts about. It ignores reality and defies logic. Let's focus on better integrating the Innovation District for pedestrians. The plan here does just that. Hyper-bowling like saying Lincoln is an at grade interstate shows people that think that have no clue what an interstate is and just want to live in ideological world where facts and realities need not apply.

[stlokc]

This whole conversation about the width of Lincoln Blvd. is silly if we think about the big picture. In 20-30 years nobody will be “driving” the way we are now. There won’t be internal combustion engines, there won’t be oil or natural gas powered energy. Cars will be self-driving. Neighborhoods will be different. Density will be key. When I look at the images of the Innovation District, it looks like the future. This is the first MAPS 4 project t that I’ve seen that looks like it faces the Oklahoma City of my late middle age/senior citizen days.

[Rover]

This whole conversation about the width of Lincoln Blvd. is silly if we think about the big picture. In 20-30 years nobody will be “driving” the way we are now. There won’t be internal combustion engines, there won’t be oil or natural gas powered energy. Cars will be self-driving. Neighborhoods will be different. Density will be key. When I look at the images of the Innovation District, it looks like the future. This is the first MAPS 4 project t that I’ve seen that looks like it faces the Oklahoma City of my late middle age/senior citizen days.

I’ll make a bold prediction that traffic in OKC in 2039 will be worse than today.

[BoulderSooner]

This whole conversation about the width of Lincoln Blvd. is silly if we think about the big picture. In 20-30 years nobody will be “driving” the way we are now. There won’t be internal combustion engines, there won’t be oil or natural gas powered energy. Cars will be self-driving. Neighborhoods will be different. Density will be key. When I look at the images of the Innovation District, it looks like the future. This is the first MAPS 4 project t that I’ve seen that looks like it faces the Oklahoma City of my late middle age/senior citizen days.

this is pure fantasy

[BDP]

The walkability is overblown as a majority of workers drive.

Yeah, they drive to it. I assumed the walkability issue is about how walkable it is once you get there.

I mean, I drive to every "walkable" district in the city, and I do so, in part, because they are walkable. I guess the irony is that if they make them less walkable, I'm not going to drive to it. Ha.

And, yes, if there was a reliable way to get to those places using transit, I would. But, until then, I will get there in a car and enjoy walking it.

I just don't see it as this "it has to work one way or the other" problem. I also don't see how any of this applies to how walkable "everywhere" is.

I love the upgrades tho they look great. But for some to slam Lincoln when its only on the edge of this upgrade is crazy talk. Lincoln is a needed street.

I think they look good, too. Actually, the 10th street thing is the one I understand the least.

And, of course, Lincoln is needed (if people were talking about getting rid of it, then, yeah, that's crazy talk), but it can be improved, I'm sure. And, as of now, it's a total waste in its current form above the capitol. That's where the real problem with Lincoln is, imo.

[Ross MacLochness]

As someone who lived next to lincoln for a while and had a dog to walk, Lincoln is not safe at all for residents and needs to be redesigned or the sidewalks around it need to be greatly improved with safety features.

[aDark]

As someone who lived next to lincoln for a while and had a dog to walk, Lincoln is not safe at all for residents and needs to be redesigned or the sidewalks around it need to be greatly improved with safety features.

Ditto. As someone who lives 2 blocks from Lincoln currently and bikes to work downtown it is painfully apparent how difficult it is for residents to get around.

As to the numrous posters who agonize over posts about "walkability being a fantasy" I concur that it is a fantasy to think all of OKC should be super-walkable. However, to suggest that the neighborhoods circling the OUHSC are not worthy of a re-working seems absurd. It's less than 1.5 miles from downtown. If we are going to invest funds into making areas more walkable and bikeable we should absolutely start near the center. This is within that circle of proximity. No one is suggesting we remove Lincoln but that it be more safely designed.

As an aside, I hope once the 235/44 exchange is complete we see Lincoln traffic start to return to normal levels again.

[aDark]

I'd say this corridor is functioning at a pretty good level... there has to be corridors like Lincoln that move cars through surface streets without this ridiculous new urbanism aspect applied to every square of inch of the city. I would be in favor of some additional measures for Lincoln to make walking a little easier but overall I think the road should be made eight lanes with a flex bus lane that has restrictions on car use during rush hours.
.

[HOT ROD]

i love that they are actually creating a NEW district in the OMSA area and not just calling Automobile Alley and the OHC as the "Innovation District". By creating a new core in the center, they can get it right in terms of walkability, amenities, and the work-play elements then let that spread to the Oklahoma Health Center to the East and Capitol campus to the north. This will also retain existing district and neighborhood names, Innovation District becoming a new core district - I like this!!

quick observation: the 10th street expansion showed no bike lanes. This is a mistake - there needs to be dedicated, grade segregated bike lanes on 10th and Harrison bridges and those lanes need to continue through the district. Also need to ensure lighting and foliage.

This should be the case for every urban district. I have no idea why they keep designing these things without bike lanes, they keep expecting bikes to ride the pedestrian sidewalks - defeats the whole point of walkability without dedicated, grade separated bike lanes. ....

Lets go big this time!

[citywokchinesefood]

this is pure fantasy

It really is not that far fetched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duWFnukFJhQ

[David]

I'm not a resident of the area, but I had an opportunity recently to walk from Deep Duece to the OUHSC district and back, and the pedestrian accessibility of the area needs to be vastly improved.

[Ross MacLochness]

Especially since its an area where a lot of folks can't drive for whatever reason and must walk. When I lived over there, I saw moms and dads with their kids in strollers going across 235 multiple times a week. In some spots, you have to go into busy traffic to avoid overgrown weeds or because your sidewalk runs out.

[CloudDeckMedia]

I'm not a resident of the area, but I had an opportunity recently to walk from Deep Duece to the OUHSC district and back, and the pedestrian accessibility of the area needs to be vastly improved.

And cyclist accessibility. Many who work there would ride their bikes to work - or ride more often - if the area was made more cycle-friendly. I don't like riding in this area except for NE 4th Street.

[dwellsokc]

Perkins & Will not only missed the fact that 10^th Street is irreparably non-pedestrian; they missed another great LINK opportunity. Twelve years ago, Miles Associates did a Master Plan for the Health Science Center and discovered the amazing potential of extending Sheridan Avenue to Lottie Boulevard. Google-Earth it, and you’ll see that the connection is just begging to be made.

If Perkins & Will had spent any time walking and biking the District, they’d have discovered that 9^th Street is the logical pedestrian link to Midtown and Downtown… not 10^th street. 9^th Street is already pedestrian friendly, and has destinations justifying a walk! This is why the original Miles LINK extrudes 9^th Street onto the cap, and points westward pedestrians to the Landing…

[OKC Guy]

Perkins & Will not only missed the fact that 10^th Street is irreparably non-pedestrian; they missed another great LINK opportunity. Twelve years ago, Miles Associates did a Master Plan for the Health Science Center and discovered the amazing potential of extending Sheridan Avenue to Lottie Boulevard. Google-Earth it, and you’ll see that the connection is just begging to be made.

If Perkins & Will had spent any time walking and biking the District, they’d have discovered that 9^th Street is the logical pedestrian link to Midtown and Downtown… not 10^th street. 9^th Street is already pedestrian friendly, and has destinations justifying a walk! This is why the original Miles LINK extrudes 9^th Street onto the cap, and points westward pedestrians to the Landing…

Currently and for the past few months they are putting in sidewalks and trees on both north/south sides of 10th street between 235/Lincoln, so yes it will be walkable soon. Its some kind of prisoner project not sure of details, but its extensive and they blocked off both lanes closest to curbs to do this.

9th street ends at Geary Ave (a block west of Lincoln) and does not connect to Lincoln. So if the idea is to connect to whole district then that idea would fail. 10th and 8th connect to Lincoln. And 9th doesn’t cross 235 so it would make no sense to have a less than 2 block 9th as a main connector. Would need to go thru GE property to have a longer 9th. Then off ramp. Then 235. Then same on other side. Then once done would need to go thru another business property between Geary and Lincoln. And if did that and cross Lincoln to east you are in another parking lot of a business so it goes nowhere.

[BoulderSooner]

Perkins & Will not only missed the fact that 10^th Street is irreparably non-pedestrian; they missed another great LINK opportunity. Twelve years ago, Miles Associates did a Master Plan for the Health Science Center and discovered the amazing potential of extending Sheridan Avenue to Lottie Boulevard. Google-Earth it, and you’ll see that the connection is just begging to be made.

If Perkins & Will had spent any time walking and biking the District, they’d have discovered that 9^th Street is the logical pedestrian link to Midtown and Downtown… not 10^th street. 9^th Street is already pedestrian friendly, and has destinations justifying a walk! This is why the original Miles LINK extrudes 9^th Street onto the cap, and points westward pedestrians to the Landing…

good luck crossing a rail ROW and or line to connect sheridan to lottie

[dwellsokc]

...And 9th doesnÂ’t cross 235 so it would make no sense to have a less than 2 block 9th as a main connector. Would need to go thru GE property to have a longer 9th. Then off ramp. Then 235. Then same on other side. Then once done would need to go thru another business property between Geary and Lincoln. And if did that and cross Lincoln to east you are in another parking lot of a business so it goes nowhere.

Look at the original plan. 9th Street (W. of 235) is pulled onto the cap, forming a terminus that is the target of the westbound food traffic. It connects to 10th Street, and 8th Street on the east side of 235, It's great that they're adding sidewalks to 10th Street, but 9th Street will always be a better path to Broadway...

[aDark]

Look at the original plan. 9th Street (W. of 235) is pulled onto the cap, forming a terminus that is the target of the westbound food traffic. It connects to 10th Street, and 8th Street on the east side of 235, It's great that they're adding sidewalks to 10th Street, but 9th Street will always be a better path to Broadway...

The picture you posted doesn't show 9th st at all. Am I missing something?

[OKC Guy]

Look at the original plan. 9th Street (W. of 235) is pulled onto the cap, forming a terminus that is the target of the westbound food traffic. It connects to 10th Street, and 8th Street on the east side of 235, It's great that they're adding sidewalks to 10th Street, but 9th Street will always be a better path to Broadway...

9th is a dead end and does not connect to the west side of 235. Its a less than2 mini block road going nowhere.

[PaddyShack]

Look at the original plan. 9th Street (W. of 235) is pulled onto the cap, forming a terminus that is the target of the westbound food traffic. It connects to 10th Street, and 8th Street on the east side of 235, It's great that they're adding sidewalks to 10th Street, but 9th Street will always be a better path to Broadway...

What map are you looking at? 9th barely exists east of 235, you would need to raze the GEBH building...

[dwellsokc]

See the beginning of this thread... I was referencing the original Innovation Link drawings:

[Plutonic Panda]

See the beginning of this thread... I was referencing the original Innovation Link drawings:

I think that would have been much better. I love the plan the new Innovation Link Proposed except for the "link" part. They half assed and project that arguably was proposed as half assed but still could have done a good job. Now just widening the bridge and adding trees and a small park over it? yawn... this is done in suburban area in LA in the foothills. They should focus on district improvements and find other ways to pay for the cap if they can't do it through MAPS. Is MAPS the only way the city can pay for anything?

[BDP]

Is MAPS the only way the city can pay for anything?

Bonds are an option.

I think our last bond measure spent more than our last MAPS initiative...

They like to bundle that, too, so all our roads can be repaved again.

[Laramie]

Bonds are an option.

I think our last bond measure spent more than our last MAPS initiative...

They like to bundle that, too, so all our roads can be repaved again.

IIFC the 2017 GO Bonds were not bundled; a bond issue package consisting of 13 separate bonds, you had the option to approve all or choose separate propositions. Please correct me if I'm wrong...

Oklahoma City bond propositions

Bond propositions:

Prop. 1: Streets Approved
Prop. 2: Bridges Approved
Prop. 3: Traffic control Approved
Prop. 4: Economic development Approved
Prop. 5: Parks and recreational facilities Approved
Prop. 6: Libraries Approved
Prop. 7: Civic Center complex Approved
Prop. 8: Transit Approved
Prop. 9: City maintenance facilities Approved
Prop, 10: Drainage control Approved
Prop. 11: Downtown city arena On the ballot
Prop. 12: Police Approved
Prop. 13: Fire Approved

Several of the proposition barely passed. Remember the ASA Hall of Fame stadium was on the ballot tied to parks & recreation if I remember.