Rail Transit Project Timeline
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After describing one-by-one which groups would likely be involved in planning for a Northern Kentucky rail transit system, it is important to understand the dynamics of how planning for a new rail transit system would be organized in practice.
A common first step in the process is creating a feasibility study in coordination with public outreach events for relevant communities.
Outreach events to gauge the interest of, and solicit ideas from, the communities slated to be connected by the prospective rail transit system would help to ensure the quality and success of the project, as best planning practice ensures broad-based public participation through all phases of the project planning and implementation processes. How the public participates can take many different forms: from the very active and intensive (for example, holding workshops and charettes) to less time consuming approaches (for example, the distribution of surveys and outreach via social media). It's important that a variety of approaches are used, since community members have different schedules and varying amounts of time they can put in to expressing their opinions about a public project. For a project like a public rail transit system in Northern Kentucky to gain traction, it would be very important to gain as much public support as possible in the early phases of the project, as the decision on whether or not to pursue the project would likely come down to a local vote on a tax levy. The public outreach components would certainly include the participation of interested community groups, especially those working with multiple jurisdictions or neighborhoods, such as Southbank Partners and the Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington. Public outreach efforts could also be conducted in conjunction with local universities, such as Northern Kentucky University or the University of Cincinnati (which also assisted with studies that developed the Cincinnati streetcar).
A common first step in the process is creating a feasibility study in coordination with public outreach events for relevant communities.
Outreach events to gauge the interest of, and solicit ideas from, the communities slated to be connected by the prospective rail transit system would help to ensure the quality and success of the project, as best planning practice ensures broad-based public participation through all phases of the project planning and implementation processes. How the public participates can take many different forms: from the very active and intensive (for example, holding workshops and charettes) to less time consuming approaches (for example, the distribution of surveys and outreach via social media). It's important that a variety of approaches are used, since community members have different schedules and varying amounts of time they can put in to expressing their opinions about a public project. For a project like a public rail transit system in Northern Kentucky to gain traction, it would be very important to gain as much public support as possible in the early phases of the project, as the decision on whether or not to pursue the project would likely come down to a local vote on a tax levy. The public outreach components would certainly include the participation of interested community groups, especially those working with multiple jurisdictions or neighborhoods, such as Southbank Partners and the Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington. Public outreach efforts could also be conducted in conjunction with local universities, such as Northern Kentucky University or the University of Cincinnati (which also assisted with studies that developed the Cincinnati streetcar).
The feasibility study, although informed by public outreach efforts, would largely be a technical exercise, perhaps created by OKI and TANK, with possible support from other relevant government entities and planning organizations, like NKAPC. Cincinnati's 2007 Feasibility Study was actually created by a contractor, HDR. Their feasibility study set goals for the project; looked at different potential routes; projected the varying economic impacts, capital costs, and ridership rates of the different routes; and looked at available financing mechanisms (HDR 2007).
However, a feasibility study is only preliminary, and it would be up to local government entities (both county and municipal), in coordination with OKI, to decide if they wish to actually pursue a rail transit project. If they decided to move forward with the project, the relevant government entities of Northern Kentucky would also need to agree to hire a project manager to oversee all of the details of the project and to put together a team to begin arranging for funding and to seek grants for the project.
As with all capital intensive public projects, the government entities' collective abilities to solicit funding from relevant sources essentially defines the feasibility of planning for the project in earnest and of actually constructing it. Still, other planning organizations would remain involved in the project as it seeks funding, such as NKAPC and especially OKI.
However, a feasibility study is only preliminary, and it would be up to local government entities (both county and municipal), in coordination with OKI, to decide if they wish to actually pursue a rail transit project. If they decided to move forward with the project, the relevant government entities of Northern Kentucky would also need to agree to hire a project manager to oversee all of the details of the project and to put together a team to begin arranging for funding and to seek grants for the project.
As with all capital intensive public projects, the government entities' collective abilities to solicit funding from relevant sources essentially defines the feasibility of planning for the project in earnest and of actually constructing it. Still, other planning organizations would remain involved in the project as it seeks funding, such as NKAPC and especially OKI.
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OKI has a special role to play in the process of planning for public transportation, since they our the region's metropolitan planning organization (MPO) which draws its membership from almost two hundred government jurisdictions, relevant transportation authorities, and other interested stakeholders (OKI n.d.). Generally, plans for public transportation must be reviewed by OKI if they are to receive funding from the FTA (which a rail transit system in Northern Kentucky almost certainly would). To be considered for funding, the rail transit project would have to be evaluated by OKI and included in the organization's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which is essentially a prioritized list of projects for a metropolitan area for four years that relates directly to the region's Long-Range Transportation Plan (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet n.d.). The Cincinnati streetcar was actually high on OKI's TIP for a number of years, despite the political posturing and waffling related to the project (Simes 2011). The Cincinnati streetcar also received a $4 million FTA Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant directly from OKI (City of Cincinnati n.d.). See portions of the Economics section for further information on how funding rail transit projects works on all levels: federal, state, and local.
If a rail transit system in Northern Kentucky were built, it would likely be operated by TANK. Because the new rail transit system would likely connect with the Cincinnati streetcar, TANK would need to work closely with its operator, SORTA, and other relevant government entities, to ensure the two systems work together smoothly. TANK could also solicit information on best practices for system operations and management from SORTA. If these organizations share information effectively with one another, the process of implementation will be smooth and the capital and operating costs could be reduced.
If a rail transit system in Northern Kentucky were built, it would likely be operated by TANK. Because the new rail transit system would likely connect with the Cincinnati streetcar, TANK would need to work closely with its operator, SORTA, and other relevant government entities, to ensure the two systems work together smoothly. TANK could also solicit information on best practices for system operations and management from SORTA. If these organizations share information effectively with one another, the process of implementation will be smooth and the capital and operating costs could be reduced.