In a challenge to the wishes of the state DOT, a group of citizens has successfully campaigned for the addition of an alternative to restore the downtown street grid in place of a high-speed boulevard in Oklahoma City.
With the support of a City Councilor, a coalition of Oklahoma City residents are calling for the restitution of the original city grid where the Oklahoma Department of Transportation seeks to replace the recently demolished elevated I-40 with a "wide, high-speed boulevard through the city’s downtown," reports Angie Schmitt.
Grid advocates were able to garner the support of the Federal Highway Administration.
They successfully challenged ODOT's procedure of conducting a single environmental analysis on both the effects of demolition and reconstruction, which would have led to a set of very similar proposed alternatives for the roadway.
Instead the group has argued for differentiated alternatives. Their favorite, Alternative D, would connect automobile traffic to business activity at street level and allow for a walkable community.
FULL STORY: FHWA: Oklahoma DOT must consider restoring street grid in downtown OKC
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