11-05-2025
How work at convention center will disrupt OKC Streetcar service May 13-16: What to know
The Oklahoma City Streetcar will be temporarily shut down from May 13 to May 16, marking another milestone in the demolition process for the former Myriad Convention Center and construction of the new Paycom Center, according to a news release from the city of Oklahoma City.
In a step toward the new development, OG&E will disconnect power from the convention center, also known as the former Cox Convention Center, during those days, leading to a slight disruption in public transportation services.
Alternative transportation will be available. EMBARK will operate two bus shuttles from 6 a.m. to midnight every 25 minutes along the downtown streetcar loop, the city said in the release. However, streetcar fare will be required.
The shuttle bus will provide access to all streetcar platform stops with the exception of the Century Center stop on Sheridan. Thunder game shuttles will run two hours before the game and for one hour after the game on May 13.
More: What should OKC do with Paycom Center site? What's next for Union Station? Questions answered
Demolition of the exterior of the convention center will begin in June and be completed in late 2025, with an anticipated opening in June 2028, the city stated online. Interior demolition has been ongoing.
This comes after the Oklahoma City Council awarded $11.4 million in contracts and bonds to Midwest Wrecking Co. in March, according to earlier reporting in The Oklahoman.
Read: Myriad memories: Before its demolition, OKC's iconic convention center hosted the biggest names
Built in 1972, the building has been renamed several times, once as the Cox Business Services Convention Center and as Prairie Surf Studios and has been the site where a plethora of events, from concerts to conventions to sporting games have been held.
In December 2023, 71% of Oklahoma City voters approved a penny sales tax to build the new Paycom Center, and in May 2024, the Oklahoma City Council approved a development agreement between the city and PBC Sports and Entertainment LLC to build the at least 750,000-square-foot arena, the city said in the release.
The new arena will cost around $900,000 million and be primarily funded by a 72-month, one-cent sales tax, $70 million in MAPS 4 funding, and $50 million from the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group, the city stated online.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Streetcar shuts down during Thunder Game week. Here's what to know
