Tulsa Commuters: Rail, Buss Mass Transit Studied: Take the BA Train: Mass-Transit Options
By Brian Barber, Tulsa World, Okla.
May 1–Documents:Read the executive summary and feasibility study for the Broken Arrow to Tulsa mass transit proposal.
Commuters coming into downtown Tulsa from Broken Arrow may someday make the trip by train.
A commuter train line and a bus rapid transit system were considered in a study released Monday.
The findings: either option is feasible.
“Tulsans are ready for this to happen,” Mayor Kathy Taylor said, citing rising gasoline prices and traffic congestion.
Now the questions remain: which option and how to pay for it.
A second, more in-depth study will determine the best plan for the Tulsa region, taking environmental issues and the possibility of federal funding into account.
Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority CEO and General Manager Bill Cartwright said the federal government will pay for 80 percent of the cost of the follow-up study, which could cost up to $400,000.
Communter traffic is going to get worse, so Cartwright said he would like to have a solution in
place in the next 10 years, if not sooner.
The Broken Arrow Expressway carries between 75,000 and 90,000 vehicles a day, and construction space for highway expansion is limited, said Timothy Schmidt, operations manager for Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam — the Dallas firm hired to conduct the study.
A mass-transit system could eliminate about 20 percent of the rush hour traffic, he said.
A commuter rail, using the existing Union-Pacific Railroad tracks along the Broken Arrow Expressway, would cost as much as $49 million to launch and $3.1 million a year to operate.
A bus system, which in other cities features traffic-signal priority, dedicated traffic lanes and high-capacity buses, would cost less but would also attract fewer riders, the study indicates.
Schmidt said he believes the commuter rail is the best option.
“As the numbers show, a train would have a much bigger impact,” he said.
Broken Arrow Mayor Wade McCaleb said his city would be willing to partner with Tulsa on a mass-transit system, but it’s important to first identify whether federal funding is available.
“It would be a costly endeavor, but with 50 percent of Broken Arrow residents working in Tulsa, this is an important issue to look at,” he said.
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Brian Barber 581-8322 brian.barber@tulsaworld.com
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Mass-Transit Options
Commuter Rail Cost: $43 million to $49 million Annual operation expenses: $3.1 million, with up to 12 percent covered by fares. Potential fare: $2 Ridership growth between 2010 and 2030: 1.4 million to 5 million Speed: 70 mph Peak frequency: Every 72 minutes
Bus Rapid Transit System Cost: $22 million to $23 million Annual operation expenses: $1.9 million, with up to 12 percent covered by fares. Potential fare: $2 Ridership growth between 2010 and 2030: 48,360 to 70,208 Speed: 50 mph Peak frequency: Every 40 minutes
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Copyright (c) 2007, Tulsa World, Okla.
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