Detroit & Michigan: Go-Town Transportation Lowdown

[J. Will]

Whatever happened to that commuter rail line they were supposed to get? Wasn't it supposed to be up and running about two years ago?

[LMich]

Yes, it is off schedule.

They are currently refurbishing the cars, and two are in safety and mechnical testing as of this month. It's also been delayed because improvements to the same tracks the high-speed rail line will travel won't begin construction until early next year (i.e. the West Detroit Connection Track). There is also track and station construction and reconstruction that's slowing things down.

All that said, this is one of the few mass transit projects that definitely seems to be a god, mostly because it's more a federally-involved project than the others.

[LMich]

Looks like the Woodward Oakland County communities finally got the money they needed to study extending the Woodward line into OC:

Woodward Light Rail projects gets $2 million federal grant for study on Birmingham extension

By Matt Helms | Detroit Free Press

October 13, 2011

The federal government today granted $2 million to an effort to study whether Detroit’s fledgling Woodward Light Rail project, now designed to run from downtown to 8 Mile Road, should keep chugging north up to Birmingham.

The money is another strong indicator of federal support for the $550-million plan to bring light rail to metro Detroit. The U.S. Transportation Department has already awarded Detroit $25 million for the initial phases of the project, with Mayor Dave Bing’s office saying construction could start as early as next year.

Michigan’s U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow announced today that the Transportation Department approved $2 million for a study on extending the rail line north through Ferndale and Royal Oak ending at Maple Road in Birmingham. Supporters say suburban support of the project will be key to its success, and having it go into Oakland County will muster crucial early backing.

...

[animatedmartian]

Feds offer $46.7 million for Woodward Light Rail, new buses

By Matt Helms
Detroit Free Press
October 17, 2011

The federal government is standing by its pledge to help Detroit build the $550-million Woodward Light Rail project as a catalyst for improved transit and economic redevelopment along southeast Michigan’s best-known corridor, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said this morning in Dearborn.

Against the backdrop of historic trains at the museum at the Henry Ford, LaHood announced nearly $930 million in federal funds for 300 public transportation projects nationwide.

“One of the most exciting of these projects is the Woodward Avenue Light Rail project, which we are committed to,” LaHood said. “Our support for this project is unwavering.”

LaHood’s comments indicate continued backing for the light rail project as it enters a crucial phase, with behind-the-scenes discussions among Gov. Rick Snyder, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and tricounty leaders about settling long-standing disagreements about how to manage and pay for a regional transit system.

[...]

LaHood selected Detroit, suffering some of the most acute transit problems in the country, as the backdrop for announcing the additional federal transit money.

Among the biggest Michigan beneficiaries:

• The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments was awarded $2 million for a feasibility study on expanding Woodward rail from its proposed first phase north into Oakland County.

Officials in six south Oakland communities from Ferndale to Birmingham want to extend the line north to Maple Road, and the study will measure demand, impact and potential ridership, key indicators the feds use in determining which communities get money to build and modernize transit networks.

• The Detroit Department of Transportation will get $6 million to buy new buses.

• SMART, the suburban bus system, will receive nearly $5 million to purchase modern hybrid biodiesel/electric buses to replace aging existing buses.

• The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority will receive $1.2 million for an alternatives analysis study on an 8.5-mile corridor from the city’s northeast side, through the University of Michigan’s south campus to Briarwood Mall, the transportation department said. The AATA also will receive $2.6 million to increase bus frequency along Washtenaw Avenue and purchase diesel buses with hybrid-electric components.

• The Blue Water Transportation Commission will receive nearly $6.9 million to replace its Quay Street Transfer Center and consolidate transfer services at a new location in downtown Port Huron.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011101...Rail-new-buses

[LMich]

I read both the News and the Freep, and both papers had a title making it seem like the current Woodward Light Rail plan had won additional federal funds when the truth is, of this nearly $48 million for Michigan, only $2 million goes towards anything that could even be considered to be related to the project (i.e. the Oakland County communities study), and nothing additional was given to the current project. I know it's semantics, but it got to me how the papers were trying to sell this news. Only about 4% of this money is going to anything related to the light rail project, the rest of the money went to general transit, which I'm not complaining about, at all.

[LMich]

Not a part of the formal regional mass transit plan, but hopefully, this actually pans out. It'd be nice to see passenger ferry service returned to the border. You've got the tunnel (for cars), the bridge (mostly for trucks), and the truck ferry, and this would just add to the array of options. Hopefully, when the New International Trade Crossing comes to fruition, it'll have a bike lane and sidewalks offering yet another option/

Detroit-Windsor passenger ferry considered

By John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

October 18, 2011

The head of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority said Monday that passenger ferry service between Detroit and Windsor could begin next year if details can be resolved.

John Jamian, executive director of the authority, told the Free Press editorial board that major hospitals that employ lots of nurses and other staffers who live in Windsor were surveying their work forces about their desire for a ferry service.

If those surveys show sufficient demand, and if Windsor authorities can find dock space and nearby parking for commuters, ferry service might begin by mid-2012, he said.

"I think it's something that's going to happen, and I think it's going to be very positive," Jamian said.

"We're waiting for the results of the survey to make sure if we do proceed, it's 100% support," he said. "It's not where we're going to build it and hope they come."

...

[subterranean]

Maple Road would basically double the length of the line. This would be a boon for all the communities along Woodward.

[LMich]

Not sure what to think of this. I guess more info will be out, later.

Snyder to propose high-speed bus network to knit Detroit, suburban systems

By Matt Helms | Detroit Free Press

October 24, 2011

Gov. Rick Snyder will propose building a network of high-speed buses along major roads between Detroit and its suburbs to pave the way for a regional transit system, officials in his administration said this afternoon.

Snyder, in a speech that will lay out his transportation agenda Wednesday afternoon at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, will propose creating rapid-transit bus lines along Woodward and Gratiot avenues from downtown to suburbs, between downtown and Ann Arbor with a stop at Detroit Metro Airport, as well as along M-59 in Macomb and Oakland counties.

The high-speed bus lines would be operated by a new governing board made up of representatives of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties independently of existing transit providers, the Detroit Department of Transportation and SMART, the suburban bus system.

...

Snyder administration officials said the governor views the plan as way to jump-start a regional transit system in metro Detroit, a long-sought goal that has defied dozens of similar attempts since the 1960s. The rapid-transit system would be operated and funded independently – through a fee on vehicle registrations or similar method voters would be asked to approve – and would provide a road map for the city and suburban bus systems to ultimately work better together if not merge outright.

...

[LMich]

I can't remember how many times this particular piece of money has been secured and promised. lol This has been dragging on way too long, and I really hope that the shovels are in the ground, next year, as promised.

Obama signs bill paving way for light rail in Detroit

David Shepardson | Detroit News

November 18, 2011

Washington— President Barack Obama signed a spending bill Friday that includes a provision that will pave the way for light rail service along Detroit's Woodward Avenue corridor.

The measure — which funds the government through Dec. 16 — will make it possible for the city Detroit to receive federal funding under a program designed to aid local governments with major transit projects, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, said in a statement.

Detroit plans to build a $550 million project that will have a 19-stop rail system and will run from the old State Fairgrounds at Eight Mile south to Congress and then west to Washington Boulevard.

From there, it would move north to the Rosa Parks Transit Center on Michigan Avenue. The rail system would then loop south on Washington to Larned and then east to Woodward and back north to Eight Mile. Construction could begin next year.

The provision allows the project to use local sources of funding, including private money, for the first phase of the project, while clearing the way for federal funding of a second phase.

"Detroit deserves a world-class transportation system, including light rail service along the iconic and much-used Woodward corridor," Levin said. "This legislation helps ensure that Detroit residents and visitors will enjoy a full range of transportation options."

Mike Ilitch, Compuware founder Peter Karmanos and Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert are among the private investors that have pledged $100 million for the nine-mile project.

...

A separate measure authored by Levin keeps the more favorable local funding match at 40 percent instead of the House version of the bill, which raised the local match requirement to 50 percent.

Project organizers said the 50 percent match requirement could have threatened the project, Levin said.

What I'm wondering about is how the possible (maybe even probable) privatization of management/operations, next year, could affect this project.

[ChiSoxRox]

Oh no.


Detroit light-rail line plan scrapped for city, suburban buses (Free Press)

The ambitious plan for a light-rail line on Woodward Avenue between downtown Detroit and 8 Mile has been scrapped in favor of a system of high-speed city and suburban buses, several officials briefed on the decision told the Free Press today.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Detroit Mayor Dave Bing that doubts that Detroit could pay operating costs over the long term for the light-rail line because of its and the state’s financial problems swayed him against the plan. The decision came despite earlier public support that included LaHood’s 2010 visit to Detroit to award a $25-million grant to get the project moving.

LaHood, President Barack Obama’s top transportation official, met last week with Bing and Snyder, and the sides agreed that the better option is a system of rapid-transit buses operating in dedicated lanes on routes from downtown to and through the suburbs along Gratiot, Woodward and Michigan avenues and along M-59, the officials said.

The death of the light-rail plan brings an end to about four years of intensive effort by the city, private developers and nonprofit groups to create what was widely viewed as the most promising attempt in decades for a light-rail system to Detroit.

[Centropolis]

huh?


.................I thought that the idea of the light rail was as much an economic development tool as anything. Man, you gotta have that fixed rail transit to whet the regional appetite for improving overall transit in the midwest.

[fishrose]

If anyone needs me I'll be in the bathroom slitting my wrists...

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by fishrose

If anyone needs me I'll be in the bathroom slitting my wrists...

This sort of reminds me of when I was in college in Kansas City, and the light rail plan was defeated at the polls. Then it was put up to the vote again and I think it passed, and then was overruled by the mayor and city council.

[iheartthed]

Detroit is dead. Long live Detroit.

I just can't see how all of that recent momentum in Detroit continues without this project.

[Rizzo]

There will still be development. But the city will be filled with a ton of parking to support it.

I think BRT works well for cross corridor connections....to rail lines. It will get people from point A to B if done on Woodward, but I don't expect the level of growth you'd see with a fixed rail line. It's an expensive, but solid commitment to reliable transit access that's worth building up density for.

[Onn]

Just like to take this opportunity to blame the Obama administration...Thank you, that is all.

[ssiguy]

Although it's not great news he does make a good point.
Why bother spending half a billion bucks on a LRT line which they may not be able to afford to run with any decent frequency?
US cities are well known for building big beautiful mass/rapid transit systems and then when they open they give them terrible frequency levels. What's the point of building a line but having to rob funds from bus routes in order to pay for it? The goal is NOT to get good LRT ridership but good overall ridership.
I know people say it will produce development which good but that is NOT why we should build rapid/mass transit. Increased development and TOD are great spinoffs but they are completely secondary to providing reliable, frequent, safe, and comfortable transportation for the masses.
$500 million to a broke city and sate like Detroit and Michigan is a hell of a lot of money so you have to make sure you get the most bang for your scarse bucks and not let the politicians be fixated on ribbon cutting ceremonies.
This money is for the transit riders of Detroit and should thereby be used to improve transit for as many Detroiters as possible and not just the chosen few who live along Woodward while the rest of the city is starved of good service.
BRT would be a far more affordable option as that amount of money could produce a massive BRT system. They can also be lightening rods for development despite what the LRT lobby says. One only has to look at nearby Cleveland's BRT Healthline which has resulted in a soaring of rideership by 50% on what was already the city's busiest bus route but has resulted in a lot of TOD along Euclid Ave.
I know LRT is fashionable and the "in thing" and everyone wants one if for no other reason than everyone else has one but that is no way to run a traansit authority.
This kind of money could built a Healthline type corridor alonf Woodward and help rejuenveate it while still having hundreds of millions left over to create an impressive BRT system which will serve all Detroiters........including those making their way to Woodward.
I know this will be unpopular but I think this is good news.

[N830MH]

Where the light rail map? Can I see it?

[waltlantz]

Gotta agree with LaHood here.

So they have a light rail line. That's not likely to make a huge dent in economic development in the city, Detroit has BIG TIME infrastructure problems both of concrete and spiritual. If The downtown was a big time magnet the same way the loop was or the city had the same kind of growth that Denver had, I could understand it.

But they can barely keep their buses running.

Way too early.

[LMich]

So, they work at this for nearly five years, now, non-stop. As recently as a few months ago, LaHood & Co. are grinning ear-to-ear saying the thing is imminent while the entire time, LaHood and Bing are behind closed doors taking the piss out on the idea. As recently as monday, the Detroit City Council was interviewing candidates to put on the board to get the project moving:

Detroit City Council interviews candidates for Woodward Light Rail authority

Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com

December 12, 2011

The Detroit City Council held a series of public job interviews today as it looks to fill two seats on the new authority that will oversee the $550-million Woodward Avenue Light Rail project.

Mayor Dave Bing recently handed off the light rail project to the Detroit Economic Growth Corp, and while various parties argued over the management structure, Council eventually backed the formation of a seven-member authority that will help plan, construct and manage the 9.3-mile line.

The mayor and council will each have two representatives on the public authority, while the Michigan Department of Transportation, the DEGC and the private M1 Rail consortium -- which is providing roughly $100 million in initial funding -- will have one appointment each.

Council interviewed six candidates for its two positions today.

...

Council will vote on the appointments tomorrow, with each member casting a ballot for two candidates and then approving a resolution two appoint the top two vote-getters.

"I think this was probably the best batch of interviews that I remember from anytime we were searching for candidates," said Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins. "It's good to have to choose from a lot of good candidates instead of having to scrape the bottom of the barrel."

What has changed? This idea that the powers-that-be just figured out Detroit wouldn't be able to completely fund operations is total bullsh%t, sorry. And, if the operating money is the problem, wouldn't regionalizing the system solve this? The capital costs have never been the problem. The Feds have gifted this project hundreds-of-millions of dollars for the construction of the project over many years, now. This is not to mention that the city council as recently as may approved the sell of $125 million in bonds to keep moving this thing forward, and also the millions from the private backers of this.

Anyone who doesn't feel cheated or duped by this isn't being genuine. This is a complete shock and a shameless double-cross. To hell with Bing and Snyder and LaHood and the whole lot of them. You literally use five years to build up massive anticipation for this project, and in a single, backroom deal, you dash everyone's hopes a few days before Christmas?

Excuse my French, but F%ck Detroit. Let her go bankrupt, already. Good luck with the BRT, too. Leave it to Metro Detroit to build up something to its literal peak for years, and then half-ass it or let if fail altogether. There are probably but a few metro areas in this world that can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with such consistency and with such awe-inspiring skill.

Epicfail, Detroit; epic fail.