Another option offered by ODOT officials for the Lindsey Street interchange was bisecting the new $19 million Marc Heitz Chevrolet store with an access road.

"We took that as a not very veiled threat," said state Rep. Wallace Collins, D-Norman, OnTrac legislative director. "I think it was the heavy hand of government. We think that's what's going on around the central Oklahoma communities. They're pressuring us to back down."

Ridley had also indicated the Little Flower Church, Wheeler Park, the Latino Community Development Agency and the Neighborhood Services Organization would probably be destroyed if the Crosstown Expressway was relocated.

Hutchison showed maps at the press conference that appeared that all the affected parties would be intact with the adjustment of the highway and said the right-of-way purchased and cleared by ODOT was sufficient.

Garl Latham of Latham Railway Services of Irving, Texas has formerly worked with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit System or DART.

Latham said the Oklahoma City railyard is the nexus of transportation for the state.

This is why it's an issue to well beyond the central Oklahoma area," he said. "We are talking about something that can't be replicated. ... This is a very critical juncture for future transportation planning."

Norman's mayor said Monday evening that they have not heard back from Gov. Henry in response to her Sept. 26 letter that accompanied a copy of Norman's rail resolution passed three days earlier.

Rosenthal said when she received the letter from Ridley she shared it with other councilmembers. She said only one councilmember got back to her on it.

"Nobody has asked that we reconsider," she said of the councilmembers, although the councilmember in question suggested they listen to the ODOT presentation.

She noted that Norman's resolution did not say ODOT had all the facts, nor did OnTrac have all the facts.

"The whole part of the resolution is to bring together all the parties who have relevant facts," she said. "We would like the governor to take one last look at it."

Wesner said ODOT has never taken their proposal seriously.

"And the governor has never seen it. He totally takes ODOT's advice," Wesner said.

Hutchison said work on the Crosstown has been suspended because of a ruling from the Federal Surface Transportation Board that ruled the abandonment of one of the lines going into Union Station had been misrepresented.