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.
Well something had better be done (and quickly!) to protect the ROW of the old tracks going under I-235 near Kellogg. The city has plans to redo that interchange and wanted the RR gone to do it. If they have their way there will not be a suitable route to get to the airport.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise it would be wise for the city to restore those tracks out to Garden Plain giving the K&O their old route to Kingman and shortening the distance needed to get to Kingman. This would reroute the trains from along Zoo Boulavard to out west then north using ROW obtained in the new NorthWest expressway to create a rail route with no crossings. This is an idea I wish the city would be motivated about doing. Consider the advantages of the tracks going west... there are overpasses on Ridge Road, and I-235, and nearly the entire route is all in a light industrial area. The RR would require a bridge to be built over the cowskin creek, one that was longer than the previous that was destroyed. From just south of Kellogg, the tracks could be elevated to cross over Kellogg and merge with the land acquisitioned for the NW expressway to around Andale or just west of Maize. This would easily eliminate 30 crossings in Wichita, and the route to the west could be designed so that the city would grow around the railroad, thus eliminating future railroad crossings.
I'm glad you brought that up! I have a suggestion for how to solve the 235/Kellogg reconstruction issue. I'll try to post that soon, maybe even today! I also think it'd be a good idea to preserve the Zoo Boulevard Corridor for future expansion, as high capacity transit on an existing bridge could be a cheaper option to new road bridges over the big ditch. I also think looking at grade separating the freight lines is a noble cause from a safety standpoint and the NW Bypass is certainly an opportunity!
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