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Central Oklahoma long-range transit plan kicks off public phase, aims to guide 30 years of service
Summary
Consultant Kimley‑Horn updated COPTA trustees on the Central Oklahoma Long Range Transit Plan, funded by MAPS 4 and ACOG, describing goals, project phases and an imminent public virtual town hall.
Luke Schmidt, a project lead with consultant Kimley‑Horn, told the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority during its Jan. 22 special meeting that the Central Oklahoma Long Range Transit Plan will review existing plans and recommend projects and service strategies to guide transit across central Oklahoma over the next 20–30 years.
Schmidt said the plan builds on prior work including the 2004 fixed‑guideway study, regional transit dialogue, IMBARC, MAPS 4 and work by the Regional Transit Authority. He said funding comes from MAPS 4 and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) and that the intent is to roll the long‑range plan into the metropolitan planning organization’s plan to improve federal funding competitiveness.
The consultant described three project phases: assess (currently wrapping up), evaluate (developing scenarios and an evaluation framework), and recommend (final recommendations and phasing). Schmidt listed four guiding goals: provide meaningful access to transit, create a compelling and reliable rider experience, offer competitive service options for both transit‑dependent and choice riders, and use resources effectively.
Schmidt outlined three buckets of projects in the plan: (1) resource projects (built or funded projects such as Northwest Rapid and short‑term OKC Moves improvements), (2) catalytic regional projects (for example north–south commuter rail and Santa Fe Depot improvements), and (3) unconstrained regional projects on a longer horizon (15–30 years) such as additional RTA corridors, airport corridors and potential streetcar expansion. He said the plan will also address facilities, fleet, staffing, risk assessment, program‑level costs, phasing and a peer review of comparable communities.
Schmidt said the team had completed stakeholder interviews and a December workshop and that the public‑facing evaluate phase will begin in the coming weeks. He said the team expects a draft report by summer 2025 and announced a public virtual town hall scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 30 (noon–1 p.m.), with project information posted at connectcentralok.com.
The presentation concluded with trustees’ questions about schedule; no formal action was taken on the plan during the meeting.
