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<div>This photo gallery might be useful for anyone who is interested in the I-40 Project and its effects on Union Station. It shows hundreds of photographs that are uploaded very frequently (looks like about two or three times a month) of recent construction progress on the I-40 project.</div><div><br></div><a href="http://www.40forward.com/gallery/default.asp?pid=undefined&page_size=9&sort_filter=%3C%20ALL%20CATEGORIES%20%3E&sort_order=descending">http://www.40forward.com/gallery/default.asp?pid=undefined&page_size=9&sort_filter=%3C%20ALL%20CATEGORIES%20%3E&sort_order=descending</a><div><br></div><div>Shane Hampton</div><div>sh453@ou.edu</div><div>http://rezoneokc.com<br><div><div><br><div><div>On Apr 5, 2009, at 9:49 PM, Susie Shields wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"> <font face="Tahoma, sans-serif" size="3"> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "> </div> <div style="margin-top: 5pt; margin-bottom: 5pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="4"><b>"WHY OKC UNION STATION RAIL TERMINAL IS IMPORTANT AND HOW WE CAN SAVE IT!!"</b></font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; text-align: center; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; text-align: center; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="4">Join ONTRAC's Marion Hutchison for a presentation and/or see action alert below</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 5pt; margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>(Oklahomans for New Transportation Alternatives Coalition - ONTRAC)</b></i></font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; text-align: center; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; text-align: center; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="4"> April 14 - 7:00 p.m.</font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; text-align: center; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="4">Gold Dome (2nd floor) - NW 23rd & Classen - OKC </font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; text-align: center; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="4">(enter through west door by the Prohibition Room restaurant)</font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="4"> </font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><b>Oklahoma City Union Station’s terminal facility provides us a rare opportunity to:</b></font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">(a) quickly and affordably develop an effective commuter rail and light rail system that will serve the Oklahoma City metropolitan </font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">area and Central Oklahoma well into the future,</font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">(b) take advantage of significant federal funding for rail transit hubs and systems, </font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">(c) ensure the transportation and economic future for the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and Central Oklahoma</font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">(d) anchor and stimulate Oklahoma City’s important and valuable Core to Shore redevelopment plans, and</font></div> <div style="padding-left: 72pt; text-indent: -72pt; "><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">(e) reduce ozone and green house gases.</font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">A decision to resolve this issue in favor of preserving the Union Station Terminal Facility by the Oklahoma City Council could end the standoff. Support is growing in the community and on the City Council. It is a win /win solution that would provide the multimodal rail hub and infrastructure so critical to a successful public transportation system. </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><b>Please contact the Oklahoma City Council members today!</b> Go to <a href="http://www.okc.gov/council">www.okc.gov/council</a> and send them emails asking them to support the effort to preserve the Union Station Rail Hub. You can also read the Oklahoma Chapter’s Resolution to preserve the terminal on our website <a href="http://www.oklahoma.sierraclub.org/conservation">www.oklahoma.sierraclub.org/conservation</a> and more information is available here: <a href="http://www.ontracok.org">www.ontracok.org</a></font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">According to Charles Wesner, Oklahoma Sierra Club Chapter Chair, this issue is still in flux. It’s still not too late for Oklahoma to join the rest of the modern rail transit world. We can save Union Station’s terminal facility and rail connections, finish the new Crosstown and develop a commuter rail system. A slight shift of a small segment of the highway alignment 150 feet south and providing an overpass of the Tulsa to Lawton line is all that is needed. Highway engineers have confirmed that this solution clearly exists. No construction on the Cross Town has been done that cannot be tied in to the changes we need. It can be done affordably and timely. It can be done without impacting the Little Flower Church. It can be done on land already owned by the state. It can be done without eliminating existing and proposed park areas. Most likely, there would be federal funding available. All it takes is some vision, leadership and cooperation. </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2">The proposed I-40 Crosstown has been stymied by action at the Federal Surface Transportation Board. This delay and the Obama Administration, with its commitment to restoring the nation’s rail infrastructure, can be a game changer ... <font face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>b</b></font><b>ut we must follow </b></font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><b>through!!!!</b></font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Verdana, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> <div><font face="Arial, sans-serif" size="2"> </font></div> </font> <span><ATT00001.txt></span></blockquote></div><br> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div><br></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "></span></div></div></div></div></body></html>