Northwest Passage National Highway Metro Area Perspective (draft 12/9/2005)7:00 NWPassageAreaPerspective51209.ppt To understand the benefit to the Metro

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective (draft 12/9/2005)7:00 NWPassageAreaPerspective51209.ppt

To understand the benefit to the Metro Area, we need to look at the Current status of the Transportation Highways within the Metro Area.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective

The Oklahoma Dept. of Transportation’s map to the right shows the ultimate completion of the Gilcrease Expressway Loopfrom Hwy. 75 on the north, to I-44on the south.


Currently funding has been identifiedand earmarked to complete the Gilcrease Expressway from Hwy. 75 to the L.L. Tisdale.


The City of Tulsa has earmarked funds and proposed funds to build a 2-laned portion of the northwestsection of the Gilcrease Expressway from Hwy. 75 west to where theproposed Botanical Gardens and theproposed statue, “The American”, are to be located.


The funding for the western leg of the Gilcrease Expressway Loopis projected to come from both Federal funding and City funding sources over the next several decades.

An idea exists which could work intandem with existing plans and funding to expedite completion of the Gilcrease Expressway Loop.

We could look at funding the completion of the Gilcrease Loop via Metro Area GARVEE Bonds from anticipated future Federal Funds, a toll road, a Tax Increment Financing District (TIF), or a combination of all four.

County Funding from both Osage and Tulsa County, along with funding from the Osage Tribe, should also be part of the funding equation.


With the completion of the Gilcrease Expressway Loop, the NorthwestPassage National Highway will provide 3 Main Alternative Routes through the Metro Area.

The Northwest National Passage Highway will transform the Broken Arrow Expressway and Muskogee Turnpike.

The Broken Arrow Expressway and Muskogee Turnpike, which are currently essentially a commuter roadway and highway for those traveling to and from the Metro Area, will become a Connecting Highway for those traveling from one part of the United States to another.


Additionally, due to the creation of a national “short-cut”, the NorthwestPassage National Highway will likelyincrease traffic on Hwy. 75 south of the metro Area as well as Hwy. 412 east of the Metro Area.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – What Are The Benefits To The Metro Area?

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Area City Benefits

In addition to the obvious benefits tothose involved in the Planning and Construction of highways, the Northwest Passage National Highwaywill provide benefits in many areas.

This includes direct highway trafficbenefits to the Cities of BrokenArrow, Coweta, Glenpool, Jenks, Catoosa, Skiatook, and Tulsa.

Within Tulsa, direct highway trafficbenefits will be realized in West Tulsa, East Tulsa, North Tulsa, Mid-Town Tulsa, and DowntownTulsa.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Cities With Indirect Benefits

Shifting the alignment of the Northwest Passage National Highway to the “Flood Relief Road” R-O-Wbetween Tulsa and Skiatook will provide increased benefit to the Citiesof Sand Springs and Sapulpa.

Bixby, via the Creek Turnpike and Hwy. 67, and Owasso, Collinsville,Vertigris, and Claremore, via Hwy. 20, will also benefit from the Northwest Passage National Highway.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Outlying Cities Benefits

Outlying Cities will also benefit from the Highway.

Hwy. 51 Corridor Cities benefiting include Muskogee, Wagoner, Tahlequah, Ft. Gibson, Stillwell, Salisaw, Poteau and others.

Hwy. 75 Corridor Cities include Okmulgee, Henryetta, McAlester, Antlers, Hugo, Idabel, and more.

Hwy. 412 Corridor Cities include Inola, Choteau, Locust Grove, and Kansas.

Hwy. 60 Corridor Cities includeBartlesville, Ponca City, Pawhuska, Nowata, Vinita, and Grove.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Job Cluster Areas Benefiting

Metro Area and Northeastern Oklahoma Areas where Jobs are Clustered that will benefit include:

Port of Catoosa

Port of Muskogee

Johnston’s 33 Port

Mid-America Industrial Park

Cherokee Expressway Ind. Park

Greenway Business Park

Tulsa International Airport

Riverside Airport

Pogue Municipal Airport

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Oklahoma Companies Benefiting

Oklahoma Companies, both large and small and in a variety of industries, will benefit. These include:

American Airlines Maintenance

Conoco Phillips

Spirit Aerosystems (Boeing)

Griffin Foods

Griffin Communications

Arrow Trucking

John Zink Company

Whirlpool

Nordam

Koch Industries

Bama Pie

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Kansas Companies Benefiting

Kansas Companies and Industries will also benefit, include including the following which have facilities in the Metro Area as well:

Spirit Aerosystems (Boeing) has a large employment base in Wichita.

Koch Industries, now the largest privately-held company in the United States, is headquartered in Wichita.

Koch is a diversified company involved in many things, including highway road building.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Citizen Benefits

Citizens utilizing these highlightedroadways will benefit from increased accessibility when traveling to and from areas of the United States northwest and southeast of the Metro Area.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Business Benefits

Businesses utilizing these highlightedroadways will also benefit from increased accessibility.

In addition to businesses involved in Regional or National Distributionand Trucking, Manufacturing Companies such as the businessesidentified in Cluster Analysis studiesof both the Metro Chamber and Tulsa’s Strategic Economic Development Plan, which utilize Distribution and Trucking, will also benefit from shorter shipping timesand mileage costs.

Such benefits will thus make the Metro Area more attractive to Distribution, Trucking, and Manufacturing Businesses and Jobs in such industries as Oil & Gas, Aerospace, etc.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Highway Business Benefits

Lodging, Restaurant, Convenience Stores, Tourist and Visitor Attractions and other travel-related businesses located along these highways will also see increased business from both increased Out-of-Area traffic as well as Out-of-State traffic.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – City Sales Tax Benefits

Area Cities will benefit from increased Sales Tax Revenues, due to the increased highway trafficfrom outside the Metro Area.

In addition, the increased attractiveness of the Metro Area to Distribution, Trucking, and Manufacturing companies will likely lead to Metro Area Growth due to both the expansion of existing Metro Area businesses as well as the re-location of businesses to the Metro Area.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Property Tax Revenue Benefits

Area Counties will benefit from increased Property Tax Revenues, for the same reasons.

This will also benefit those other entities which receive funding from Property Revenues, including TulsaCommunity College, Tulsa Technology Center, County Health Departments, County Libraries, and Public School Districts.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Lodging Tax Revenue Benefits

Due to both increased Regional Accessibility and the creation of a National “Short-cut”, entities which benefit from Lodging Tax Revenues, such as Tulsa’s Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, and also to Tulsa’s Arena, Convention Center and Performing Arts Center, will also see increased revenues.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Higher Education Benefits

Again,due to both increased Regional Accessibility and the creation of a national “short-cut”, Metro Area Citizens will have improved access tothe Metro Area’s Higher Education Facilities. At the same time, this will expand the markets for those Metro Area Higher Educationfacilities, both Public and Private,including such institutions as:

•Tulsa Community College•Tulsa Technology Center•OSU – Tulsa•OU – Tulsa•Langston - Tulsa•NSU – Broken Arrow•ORU•TU•Rogers State University

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Healthcare Benefits

Similarly, Metro Area Citizens will have improved access to the Metro Area’s Healthcare facilities, whilealso expanding the markets for those Metro Area Healthcare facilities.These include the following facilities:

• Brookhaven Hospital• Cancer Treatment Center• Children’s Medical Center• Hillcrest Medical Center• Hillcrest Specialty Hospital• Laureate Psychiatric Hospital• Meadowbrook Rehab Hospital• Morton Healthcare• Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma• Parkside Community Hospital• St. Francis Hospital• St. Francis Hospital – Broken Arrow• St. Francis Hospital Heart Hospital• Southcrest Hospital• St. John Medical Center• St. John Medical Center - Sapulpa• Tulsa Regional Medical Center

Northwest Passage National HighwayTulsa Specific Perspective – Growth Benefits

The Northwest Passage National Highway, by accelerating the completion of the Gilcrease Expressway Loop, by opening up access to new areas of the City to the West and North, and by increasing traffic along the remainingPotential Growth Corridors of the City of Tulsa to the South, East, West, and North, the City will benefitfrom increased revenues and population.

In addition, it will provide EconomicDevelopment opportunities for those areas and Citizens of Tulsa which have been overlooked for new Economic Development growth,including the Metro Area’s growing Minority Population.

Northwest Passage National HighwayTulsa Specific Perspective – Real Estate, Banking, Utilities, Etc. Benefits

This Growth will continue to fuelNew Business for the Home-Building and Commercial Construction, Construction Supply, and Real Estate industries, as well as benefit the Banking, Legal, Architecture, Engineering, Utilities, and Insurance industries associated with the Construction Industry.

Northwest Passage National HighwayTulsa Specific Perspective – Central Business District Benefits

The Northwest Passage National Highway’s impact on the Central Business District will also make the CBD a more attractive location for Offices, Restaurants, Hotels, Etc., aswell as bring more customers and their respective Sales, Lodging and Property Tax Revenues to support theBrady Arts District, the Blue DomeDistrict, and other attractions such as Route 66, Tulsa’s Art Deco, GilcreaseMuseum, Cherry Street, Brookside,and Utica Square.

It will also positively impact the Central Business Improvement DistrictAdministered by Downtown TulsaUnlimited, and improve Parking Revenues for the Tulsa Parking Authority.

Northwest Passage National HighwayTulsa Specific Perspective – Central Business District Govt. Benefits

The Northwest Passage National Highway’s impact on the Central Business District will also make the CBD a more attractive location for City, County, Metro, Regional, and Federal Facilities.

In addition, both County attractions such as the Fairgrounds, Bells, Big Splash Water Park, Expo Square, andDriller Stadium will likely benefit from increased attendance and revenues related to that increased attendance.

Northwest Passage National HighwayTulsa Specific Perspective – Tulsa Area Benefits

The Northwest Passage National Highway’s impact will also make the City more attractive location for events at such locations as the University of Tulsa’s Reynold’s Center and Skelly Stadium, as well as ORU’s Mabee Center.

The overall net affect of all of these benefits to the Metro Area should increase Airport traffic.

This in turn will lead to increased numbers of flights and additional destination cities for Citizens and Companies of the Metro Area, as well as Northeastern Oklahoma.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Historical Objections

1 ) “The Metro Area Doesn’t Need Any More Toll Roads”

Just take a look at Oklahoma’s Road Funding History. The only way highways are being built is by Federal Funding, or by toll roads as Texas is doing.

Besides, a toll road is not Medicine…. You Don’t Have To Take It!

There are alternative “free” roads to get anywhere.

But ask yourself when was the last time you didn’t take the turnpike to Oklahoma City or Joplin.

You took the turnpike because it saved time, and the time it saved you was worth more than the cost of the toll.


2 ) “This Highway Will Cost A Lot Of Money”

True, maybe $500 million in Oklahoma alone. But if Non-Residents help pay for it and it creates Metro Area Jobs, then it is Economic Development, and Tulsa County alone offered $350 Million in Economic Development funding to a single company to locate in Tulsa, with the State planning to pitch in more.

We didn’t land that company, but landing this Highway would be a Guaranteed Economic Development “Win” for the Citizens and Businesses of the Metro Area, Northeastern Oklahoma, and the State of Oklahoma. Just think of how much Oklahoma’s Citizens and Businesses benefit from the existing I-44 National “Short-cut”.

In terms of Jobs for Metro Area Citizens, Markets for Metro Area Businesses, Sales Taxes for Metro Area Cities, Property Taxes for Metro Area Counties and Schools, and Income Taxes and Sales Taxes for the State, this would be Win, Win, Win, Win, Win Situation.


3 ) “Why Do This To Save About An Hour Between Tulsa & Wichita?”

This is not just a “Tale Of Two Cities”.

The reason for this Highway is to attract National Traffice that may otherwise bypass these Cities and States.

Those traveling cross country will take the “Short-Cut”.

Ever heard of anyone taking the “Long-Cut”?


4 ) “Financing Projects With Bonds Costs More Than Pay As You Go”

This raises the obvious question:

“Does anyone seriously believe that this Highway will cost less if we wait?”

Raise Your Hand If You Do!


5 ) “Building A Big Highway Project All At Once Would Raise Costs”

Possibly, but at the same time, it would create an Economic Boom, with New Metro Area Jobs, New Business for Metro Area Businesses, and New Opportunities for Metro Area Entrepreneurs and Start-up Companies.

Northwest Passage National HighwayMetro Area Perspective – Summation

In closing, this Highway, once built,will never re-locate, be bought out, orgo out of business.

It will continue, like our other highways, to be both a “Generator” and “Life-line” for on-going economic development benefiting ALL Businesses and Citizens of the Metro Areas and the States of both Kansas and Oklahoma.

Documents

Northwest Passage National Highway Metro Area Perspective (draft 12/9/2005)7:00 NWPassageAreaPerspective51209.ppt To understand the benefit to the Metro