It's less MDOT than that they are actually listening to the criticism at the open houses. I really hate to say that it's bad they got the stakeholders involved...but it's bad they did that. lol At first it appeared like everyone agreed on taking the freeway out, but then the corporations near the freeway started pushing back against the idea.
Anyway, an update on on the end of the RTA's RefleX routes - the failing of the transit plan meant they don't have the money to continue them - but with SMART actually picking them up and making them even better:
Quote:
SMART recently released it's reworking of the RefleX routes. With the RTA unable to continue them, SMART will take them over. The three corridors are:
1. Gratiot: Downtown Detroit to 23rd Mile - Chesterfield Township or North River Park-and-Ride (Express)
2. Michigan: Downtown Detroit to Detroit Metro (Express)
3. Woodward: Downtown Detroit to Telegraph Road via Maple Road (Limited), Downtown Detroit to Royal Oak via Huntington Woods (Local), Downtown Detroit to Pontiac (Express), Downtown Detroit to Troy-Civic Center (Express), Downtown Detroit to Troy-Somerset via Birmingham (Local).
Maps
And a rendering of the downtown rerouting for the lines:
Some of the services will come in at a frequency as low as 15 minutes during peak time, and all express services will operate from 5AM to 1AM.
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This is a pretty big deal as it vastly increasing frequencies on the current RefleX services, and it's SMART first major service expansion in nearly a decade. Frequency that were every 45 minutes - how they even got away with calling this "express" service, I will never know - will come down to every 15 minutes at peak and 30 minutes off-peak. It'll run seven days a week. The other huge thing is that it will allow SMART to "normally" operate in the city, whereas SMART has only been able to operate peak service into and out of Detroit.
Along with replacing the RTA's RefleX service along these routes, it will also eliminate a confusing mix of SMART limited and local services. On Woodward, only 450/460 locals remain with the new service replacing the 445/475 & 465 limiteds. On Gratiot, only the 560 local will remain with the new service replacing the 565 limited.