Construction Update On Long-Awaited OKC Streetcar Project

Torn up streets around Bricktown may be hurting the bottom lines of nearby businesses, but those we’ve talked to aren’t complaining. 

The $131 million streetcar project has been in the works for 8 years. It’s a MAPS 3 project that’s already been funded by a half-inch sales tax.  The seven-car, five-mile streetcar project will eventually connect Bricktown to Midtown, through the Central Business Corridor. 

Kevin McCracken opened Whiskey Chicks across the street from Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark six years ago.  He said streetcar construction will force him to shut down his front patio in two weeks, but he says he’s not complaining.

“As of now, we’re just gonna buckle down, and keep our costs low, and wait for the benefits of the trolley being finished,” he said. 

MAPS 3 Program Manager David Todd says crews are encountering unexpected underground utility and power lines, as they lay the new track. But he said they are handling the situation just fine. Todd said the main goal right now is keeping at least one lane of traffic moving on busy Bricktown streets.