Virtual Town Halls Set for OKC’s First Bus Rapid Transit Route

March 10, 2021

EMBARK is hosting a virtual Town Hall to provide an update on the region’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route on Thursday, March 25, 2021, from noon to 1 p.m. and again from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The live presentation includes preliminary plans, summarizing the 30% progress report, construction schedules, and station renderings. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide comments to the BRT project consultant – HNTB directly after the presentation.

“Demand for transportation options in central Oklahoma continues to gain momentum, said Jason Ferbrache, EMBARK Administrator. Ferbrache adds, “EMBARK’s Northwest BRT service will be the first line of its kind in Oklahoma City; that is why we are eager to launch this new service in late 2023. Introducing a new transit mode makes transit more accessible to OKC residents and visitors.”

The Northwest BRT route is approximately nine-and-one-half miles one way, running from downtown Oklahoma City to Meridian and NW Expressway, just south of Lake Hefner. The route will connect neighborhoods, regional medical centers, educational institutions, commercial centers, and major employers, including the downtown Central Business District (CBD). The first route will come within a half-mile of more than 40,000 residents and approximately 91,000 jobs – about 23% of Oklahoma City’s employment base.

The estimated project cost is $28.9 million. In late 2018, the City of Oklahoma City and EMBARK were awarded $14.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program to help fund the design and construction of the route.

The public is invited to review the Virtual Town Hall materials in advance via Story Map. Questions and comments can be submitted online, at the two virtual meetings, or by email to embarkok@okc.gov. Recordings of the two meetings will be posted on www.embarkok.com/brt within 48 hours of the meetings. Comments and questions will be formally accepted through April 15, 2021.

Another Town Hall meeting is anticipated prior to the completion of the 95% design. The public is encouraged to sign up for email updates on the project page.

Information to join the Virtual Town Hall is as follows:

12:00 p.m. BRT Virtual Town Hall Details

• Zoom Link: https://bit.ly/305rEkD || Webinar ID: 852 9633 4493 || Via Telephone: +1 312 626 6799

5:30 p.m. BRT Virtual Town Hall Details

• Zoom Link: https://bit.ly/2LYxz7C || Webinar ID: 868 0027 7151 || Via Telephone: +1 301 715 8592