The Future of the System

It is important for us to consider not only the first project to be implemented, but also the potential for any future expansion in an effort to create a city-wide transportation use of the mode. While there are really an infinite number of possibilities, as every major street presents an opportunity, a few non-street running opportunities present themselves for consideration.

The red lines identify most of these non-street running options for construction after the starter line is completed. An interesting fact to note is that every suburb of the Wichita area has a rail service running through it. Goddard, Maize and Colwich, Valley Center, Park City, Kechi, Bel Aire, Andover, Derby and Mulvane, and Haysville could all potentially have service through their centers, creating redevelopment opportunities for these communities.

Most of the right-of-ways outlined are railroads, either active or abandoned. The southern ROW is an abandoned railroad line that runs along the west bank of the river before turning south and joining with an active rail line through Haysville. The Valley Center to Mulvane ROW is the most active railway in the area and was recently grade separated through much of downtown. Another option through the central city is on the western side of downtown where another abandoned ROW sits. The Kechi and Bel Aire branches are both active, yet somewhat quieter railways. However, the line extending north from the starter line in northeast Wichita is a cleared corridor beneath high-capacity electrical transmission lines and could form a connection between the line and Bel Aire.

I am not speaking to the engineering feasability of the any of these options. Some, like the southern ROW would be more straightforward than others, such as trying to fit transit service on the central rail corridor, but the possibilities should be explored.

If the proper planning is put in place, we could have a truely regional system in a few decades. Just for dreaming's sake, I put together a route map of what the city system could look like. I'm using the two west side options (Goddard and Colwich), two south side options (Haysville and Mulvane), the two northern most options (Valley Center and Kechi), and the branch underneath the high-capacity electric lines in the northeast (Bel Aire), in addition to the eastern branch (Andover).

The 235/Kellogg Issue

The interchange between west Kellogg and I-235 next to the big ditch needs to be rebuilt. There is no argument about that. The area is extremely dangerous for any driver, whether or not he is changing highways or in the left-most through lane. The bridge over the Big Ditch was recently expanded to allow three lanes of traffic in each direction on Kellogg at the expense of any worthwhile shoulder space. The loop from eastbound Kellogg to northbound 235 is so sharp drivers have to slow down to a speed where they cannot merge with through and exiting traffic above, leading to backups that spread to the freeway below, causing extremely dangerous conditions where cars sit next to others traveling 60 mph.

The relevance to a light-rail system for Wichita is that the right-of-way in question travels through the southern portion of the intersection. It is what causes the EB 54 to NB 235 loop to be so oddly shaped. The Kansas Department of Transportation and Wichita have begun the process of planning to replace the intersection. The problem is that no where in the current plan is there a replacement for the right-of-way. Currently, the KDOT plans have a fully directional interchange with a braided ramp for access to West St. This requires ramps and bridges to be built directly in the path of the current rail right-of-way.

However, some creative routing on the parts of the planners and a couple of longer bridges then planned allow for the continued existence of the corridor through the intersection.

The following image is taken from the website created for the study of the reconstruction of the interchange http://www.235kelloggcentral.com/.

I added the blue line to demonstrate how the rail ROW could be routed through the intersection. Traveling from west-to-east the rail would enter from the ROW south of Kellogg. After passing the Stratford House Inn, the line would angle northward and travel over or under (the best solution should be determined by KDOT) the exiting ramp from Kellogg. It would then turn eastward to travel next to the eastbound lanes of Kellogg underneath the ramps and mainline bridge of I-235. At the exit for West Street from EB Kellogg, the line would angle southeast and parallel the car exit underneath the entrance ramp to EB Kellogg. At this point, the line would have returned to the right-of-way and could continue eastbound.

Constructing this right-of-way as the interchange is built would add limited extra expense to the project. The exit ramp from EB Kellogg would require a new bridge, the I-235 and entrance ramp to EB Kellogg would have to extend their bridges, and supports for the taller bridges would have to be arranged to not interfere with the ROW. Yes, these adjustments would cost more, but in the end it would be cheaper than trying to fit the line through after it is built.

The Transit Network

The effects of a transit line go beyond the properties immediately surrounding the rails and stations. Any effective high-capacity line has substantial connections to other forms of transit which serve the neighborhoods around the stations. As the light-rail corridor would not be constructed for some time, it is important to consider the future plans for the city from a public transit stand point and consider what adding a light-rail line might do to these.

The following map is taken from the 1999 Update to the Wichita-Sedgwick County 2030 Transportation Plan. It can be found here.

It's exciting to see that the rail line fits into the plans for cities transportation aspirations. The outer city circulator routes could easily be adjusted to stem from the rail system instead of the transfer points the planning commission identified. The express bus service running from the Park and Rides at the eastern and western edges of the city could be diverted onto the train system by placing those facilities near the ends of the line. The two transportation hubs at Towne West Square and Wichita State would be centered around the light-rail system making them significant nodes of activities in their respective quadrant of the city.

Finally, the line could have the potential to replace bus lines, or at least redraw them. For example, having the East Central bus line run the distance between Wesley hospital and the downtown terminal would be redundant to the right-of-way two blocks to the north. Any person traveling downtown could walk to their destination from the LRT station just as easy as the bus station and most of the connecting west side routes would intersect the system west of downtown and thereby closer to the destination. The potential issue would be connections to the south, in which case, taking the train might be less convenient due to additional transfers. Obviously, any termination of service would be well studied before being enacted but the possibility exists to move corridor services to the transit line.

The purpose of producing these plans is to have a framework on which to build the transportation future of the city. When a sustainable technology so easily fits into the city's plans, expands the potential ridership by more effectively covering a larger populace and has the opportunity to substantially decrease the time required to use transit, it should be heavily considered.

Redevelopment Opportunities

The creation of a light-rail line traveling on the suggested alignment would create several opportunities to turn unused or aging properties into vibrant transit oriented developments. Looking at the line from west to east, here are some locations that would benefit from the creation of the light-rail line.

In the images, the light-rail stations would be located within the red line zone and the areas outlined in green would be focus centers for redevelopment.

1) Towne West Shopping Center:
The first large redevelopment opportunity comes near the intersection of West St. and Kellogg. The areas around the mall are full of big box retailers in an ocean of asphalt. As these businesses move or close, the large lots could be taken and converted into denser housing. Brownstones and first floor businesses with apartments above would create a beautiful walking community centered around a regional destination. The light-rail station would be linked to the neighborhood via a walkway above or below Kellogg and the community could flow from that point to the mall, creating an outdoor extension of the shopping center, of sorts.

2) Friends Campus
Development done on the Friends University campus would be very motivated by the university. If the station platform is located between Meridian and Maple Streets, the university could redevelop the properties to make a transit focused entrance to campus. Much of the on campus housing is on the east side of the campus, so the station would be focused on commuting students.

3) Delano District
An exciting redevelopment opportunity exists in the Delano district just west of Arkansas River. The district is developed with a focus on Douglas Avenue. However, the addition of consistent transit service to the neighborhood would allow the expand into a walkable community with businesses and residences expanding to nearby blocks. The first activity is already occurring with the planned construction of a new central branch Wichita Library, which would be served by the Delano station.

4) Downtown
Boxes represents developments served by the line of the same color.
Blue outlined areas are the nearby redevelopment regions.
The opportunities in the downtown region are some of the driving forces behind the creation of a light-rail system. Improving the region's core is the focus of this mayoral administration. However, its success is hinged on developing a foundation of services for the residents and workers in the region. The addition of a consistent, permanent transit option will encourage the development of a core that is not dependent on automobiles but rather a dense, urban, walkable region that focuses on serving pedestrians in their daily activities.

There are several large surface lots in the downtown region that could be redeveloped into multi-story apartment, condominium, or office buildings. The parking spaces could be replaced by parking garages, however, with the addition of the rail line, not every space would be required to be replaced. This would essentially allow the downtown region to grow its capacity without straining the streets with congestion.

Some potential potential locations include the warehouse and parking lot between 3rd and Central on Waco, large parking lots along Topeka, surface lots on Wichita St., the abandoned building at 2nd and St. Francis, and the construction of the second tower at the Epic Center complex.

5) Old Town
Potential downtown corridors in different colors. Blue outline for areas that could be redeveloped based on service by one of the corridors.

Another opportunity to develop land that has limited use would be the Old Town area. Depending on the route of the line, Old Town's center may be well served by the light-rail should the line travel east down Douglas to Washington and northward. If the line passes under the central rail corridor at Central or options further north, the development of the Old Town district will be pulled north into new areas. The train would also encourage people headed to the bar scene to
avoid driving, creating safer streets around the entire city.


6) East Downtown
A classic redevelopment opportunity exists in the eastern portions of the downtown region. The community that lies west of I-135 and east of Washington Street is struggling in its current state. Many plots sit empty creating opportunities for higher density redevelopment. The region building an effort to restore itself to prominence with projects like the restoration of the historic Dunbar Theatre. Combining those efforts with one to create a transit oriented neighborhood would immensely improve the state of the community.

7) Wesley Medical Center
As the Hospital has grown over the years, so too have a variety of medical services buildings up and down the Hillside and Central corridors. The construction of a Wesley Medical Center station on a transit line crossing Hillside just south of 9th St. would create the opportunity to develop an additional block of medical service oriented businesses. The businesses could also focus on serving the transit users that work in the Wesley Hospital Complex.


8) WSU
The Wichita State area would require a significant amount of private development. Most of the region south of 17th St. is residential and not developed for school services. The right-of-way only enters the WSU sphere of influence at the eastern portion of the campus, mostly near the golf course. Placing a station further west on the right-of-way requires a walk through the residential neighborhood to reach campus. If private development would redevelop the corridor from the station to the campus into a walking focused region, there could be a nice flow of residences, office, and retail on the walk to campus from the station.

9) Brittany Center
The Brittany Center location is the first, true start from scratch opportunity along the line. For whatever reason, much of the land in the southeastern portion of the square quarter-mile was left undeveloped, save a power sub-station. Redeveloping the location into a high-density transit oriented development would create a consistent supply of transit riders in a region that was otherwise dead land.

The Second Step: The Starter Line

Now that a corridor has been established, the next decision to make is what areas should see service first. Since the downtown region is the focus of the system, let us assume that it will be serviced by the starter line, and work out from there. Going west, major destinations served include Delano, the new central library, and museums of the river, Friends, Newman, Towne West Shopping Center, the Dugan Business District, including Cessna, the Airport, Learjet, and residential locations west of Tyler Road. Logically, the airport would be another popular destination, as well as the two universities, as their population has a higher usage of transit. Offering commuters rides to work suggests extending the line to Learjet and commuters to downtown would need a park-and-ride station at which to board, pushing the system out to at least Maize Road, possibly 119th St. Traveling east from downtown, major destinations include Wesley Hospital, Wichita State, the Brittany Center, Bradley Fair, and Waterfront developments, as well as a rapidly developing Greenwich Road corridor. Arguing that all of those locations could support transit operations with some smaller investments, the line should extend out to Greewich, and beyond to approximately 143rd Street for a park-and-ride centered station.

Taking that starting alignment comes to a fairly lengthy 20 mile starting investment, depending on the exact routing of the line.

Some suggestions:

1) Offer direct access to the airport terminal. Creating a system requiring transfers to a bus connection makes the system less desirable to travelers. A one-seat ride is the ideal form of transit. This requires a short jog south from the rail right-of-way to the airport terminal. A map is shown to the left, with the proposed routing in blue and the ignored portion of right-of-way in yellow.

The line would access the airport from the east using a street running alignment on Airport Road. The line is drawn in accordance with the new terminal and parking design, which will be discussed in a later post. After serving the terminal, the train would cross to the west side of Mid-Continent Road and travel north to return to the original right-of-way. The alternative would be to simply have a station near the hotels and rental cars at Dugan Road. Then have a shuttle circulate from the terminal to the station.


2) At Newman University, there are two options for routing. The first is to follow the right-of-way, which is represented by the yellow line. It bends to the southeast just after West St. for a half mile before crossing Southwest Blvd. at Harry St. and recovering to the Northeast paralleling the active rail line. The second is to use street-running service on McCormick St. east from West St. and follow it around Newman University's campus.

The second option, is a half-mile shorter and serves the center of the Newman University campus. Unless the city can identify an unexpected transit need for the Harry and Southwest Blvd. neighborhood, the shorter distance and better university transit service should warrant the northern alignment.

3) The downtown alignment is something that will have to be carefully considered. It will heavily shape the future of the region and careful planning is a must. The desired function of the line needs to dictate its placement. For example, if the city wants the system to serve Century II, Intrust Bank Arena, and Old Town within two blocks, the green alignment below, following Douglas and Washington, would be ideal. However, this routing offers little opportunity for substantial transit oriented growth. To really utilize the barren acres of asphalt the downtown area has so readily available, one of the other four suggestions could be more appropriate. Obviously, there are many other options for the downtown route than are laid out here, these are just a few with different objectives for consideration. There is no evidence to suggest that ridership would excel with these options, nor is there any study to prove these streets have the capability of supporting the vehicles.


To outline these potential options, we'll move from southernmost northward.

1) The green option is a focused on service to well established portions of downtown. The rail would merge onto Douglas in the eastern portion of Delano and cross the Arkansas River on the Douglas Ave. Bridge. Following Douglas to Washington St. north to the eastern line. Major destinations within a quarter mile of the line include Century II, the Broadview Hotel, the Wichita Area Bus Terminal, Intrust Bank Arena, Union Station, and all of Old Town.

2) The red-orange option follows the green line until Main and Market Sts. Eastbound trains would travel north on Market from Douglas to Central while westbound trains would travel south on Main from Central to Douglas. The train would travel east on Central to Washington, then north to the eastern line. Destinations served include Century II, the Broadview Hotel, the Epic Center, the Government District at Central and Main, and the northern portions of Old Town.

3) The light blue option is an idealistic option. Could a tunnel be built underneath the downtown area, it could follow this track, serving the same destinations as option 2.

4) The yellow and orange tracks are two variations of the same option. The trains would stay on the rail right-of-way from Delano, across the Arkansas River on a new bridge, the travel north into along the western side of downtown to either Pine St. or Murdock St. The train would then turn east and travel to the eastern line. If the train traveled on Pine it could be converted to a transit mall of sorts and the train, once under a new overpass for the Central Rail Corridor, would join directly to the eastern line. Otherwise it could travel on Murdock and go under the current overpass and angle back to the eastern line using a small abandoned curve. These lines would also serve the same destinations as option 2, with the exception of northern Old Town, while adding St. Francis Hospital.

Finally, another way to bring down the cost of the initial build process is to only partially build the technology through the corridor. Most light rail systems are powered by overhead electric lines, but Diesel Multiple Units are diesel powered versions of light-rail vehicles that would not require the vast network of wires to be in place from the start. Secondly, while ideally a double-tracked system would be built, running operations on single-tracks with sections of double-tracks for passing and stations can reduce initial costs. Finally, there is always the option of scaling down the suggested starter line. Service to all the suggested areas may not be profitable and further study should be conducted to identify locations that should be served in the first phase.

The First Step: Preparation

The purpose of any transportation system is simple, take people from where they are to where they want to go. However, practicality and functionality must coincide to make the investment in any transit system worthwhile. All three are met in the following proposal for a light rail system for the Wichita region in the future.

It is centrally composed on the reactivation of abandoned freight rail lines through the city. From west to east, they are the rail right-of-way just south of Kellogg Ave. from Goddard to approximately West Street, the right-of-way north of Douglas through Delano and into the west side of the downtown area, and finally the right-of-way north or Central to Wesley before curving up to follow 17th Street eastward to Andover. Utilizing these three corridors with short connections between them would create a useful system which connects several popular destinations in the Wichita area.

The connections are made up of two types: Shared active rail right-of-way and Street-running segments. The shared active railway connection begins along Southwest Blvd. near Newman University and runs northeast to the western end of the central abandoned line. The street running segments run from West Street to the active railway and from the central abandonded line to the eastern abandoned line in downtown.

The following graphic depicts the line's path and type of surface. The blue represents exclusive right-of-way made up of abandoned rail lines. The red represents shared right-of-way with active rail operations, and the green represents automobile shared street bound rights-of-way.
Please, click on the picture for a larger, clearer image.


The full extent of this right-of-way is not immediately necessary. As a matter of fact, very little of the current road system in Wichita is labored with consistent congestion. However, that is not projected to stay true in the coming decades. Planning for these kinds of systems also takes decades to get from the idea's inception to its completion. A shift in policy to plan for the construction of such a system would greatly ease its creation once it is warranted. The city should set thresholds in transit use and highway congestion that would trigger money spent on alternatives analysis and start saving money for right-of-way preservation and construction. The system could then be implemented in sections as necessary, allowing the need and funding for the system to develop concurrently. Planning the route now would allow for preparatory construction that is easily tacked on to other projects. For example, the I-235/Kellogg interchange lies in the current rail right-of-way. Constructing a path through the interchange for a double-tracked railway would not require much more than lengthening a few bridges at first. Yet, ignoring this possibility would make it significantly more difficult and expensive to construct the system after that interchange has been redesigned without accounting for the railway.

In short, a commitment must be made now to see the project through to the end. While such a feat is difficult in current politics, it will allow the city the develop the future of our city instead of reacting to it. Each card must be placed with care to create a card tower, but it is much easier to build the tower one card at a time, rather than trying to place several cards in place at once.

Now is the time to build the future...

Light rail is fast becoming a preferred option for diversifying transportation options in cities across America. This blog is devoted to the sharing of ideas for how this technology could be applied to the Wichita metropolitan region. Please share your ideas and thoughts, both critical and complementary, as discussion will create a more effective product. Thanks for reading!

Now is the time to consider alternative transportation options. While commuting times and traffic in Wichita are some of the best in the nation, if the city grows without expansion of its infrastructure, congestion will surely follow. Therefore, planning for the future well beforehand is an important part of creating a transportation system that best serves the populace.