THE PEOPLE SPEAK: OKC rail yard can be and should be saved

July 02, 2009 04:47 pm

— A short segment of highway planned for Oklahoma City threatens to destroy an Oklahoma treasure. Citizens have been pleading with Director Gary Ridley and the state Department of Transportation to make a slight change in the path of the highway in order to save the well-preserved, very usable, valuable OKC rail yard.
The plea so far falls on deaf ears, ears which perhaps have already heard honeyed words from highway lobbyists. Who can say why destruction of the rail yard seems to be so important to “public servants” like Ridley and ODOT?
This rail yard could be the hub of a nationally enviable lightrail system for central Oklahoma and a vital component in state tourism. Once the rail yard is needlessly sacrificed, I believe a much larger destruction will have been accomplished.
Can Oklahomans in every area of our state see the villains in this scenario? Those who authorize the destruction of the perfectly usable rail yard should be held accountable.
I suggest we contact Gov. Henry and request that he appoint an independent commission to examine this issue, to hold public hearings and make residents across the state aware that this threatened resource is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
B.A. Geary
Tulsa