Detroit & Michigan: Go-Town Transportation Lowdown

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Hayward

It's contrary to big city planning where the intent is to totally remove freeway infrastructure or to build more bridges to connect communities and increase economic development to pay for the maintenance and pay off the cost of expensive public investments. Of the entire count of bridges MDOT maintains, they see a need to remove some in the heart of downtown of their largest city? Does that not seem like a load of BS?

I would agree with this for the bridges they plan on removing in Midtown that cross I-94. They're removing 3rd street, John R, and the Beaubian street bridges.

If there was ever a stretch of freeway that needed a cap, I-94 through Midtown would be it. I'm not so sure it needs to be widened, but certainly the design of the freeway at current can't handle the current and likely future increase in volume of traffic.

[LMich]

Originally Posted by Hayward

Of the entire count of bridges MDOT maintains, they see a need to remove some in the heart of downtown of their largest city? Does that not seem like a load of BS? The problem I have are these proposals do little to create an actual attractive solution.

You seem to think the bridges really "bridge" anything currently, or that an at surface crossing isn't better than the current set-up. The current surface drives already act as high-speed thruways; they aren't anything pleasant to try and cross. So, not only do you have a freeway dividing the neighborhood, but you have service drives which effectively operate as a divided freeway on city streets.

You seem to have very strict notions of what is "attractive." I'm for processes that get us to where we need or want to go. Just because we can't do everything doesn't mean we shouldn't do anything. Totally remove an auto route in a city without viable regional mass transit for what? For what would likely end up a dead plaza while the traffic is then funneled elsewhere chocking up I-75 and the Lodge? This idea is putting the cart before the horse.

[animatedmartian]

Gordie Howe bridge is delayed by a year due to the incorporation of the pedestrian and bike lanes and by the requirements added by the Detroit community benefits. It seems this has caused the bidding process to restart and push the estimated start of construction towards the tail end of 2018 or even possibly 2019. Completion is now expected by 2023 (was originally 2020).

http://windsorstar.com/news/local-ne...o-another-year

[LMich]

Three whole years complete setback for some bike lanes, pedestrian plaza and community benefits? I call B.S.

[Docta_Love]

Detroit-Windsor Tunnel set to close weeknights for $17 million renovation project

By TYLER CLIFFORD
Crain's Detroit Business
August 23, 2017



The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which is owned by both Detroit and Windsor, will close for weeknights and four full weekends from November through June as crews replace the 86-year-old ceiling slab. The tunnel will shut down at 8:30 p.m. and open at 5:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Joint-operators Detroit-Windsor Tunnel LLC and Windsor Detroit Tunnel Corp. will split the costs of the $17 million project. Wixom-based Toebe Construction LLC received the contract to repair about 4,000 feet of ceiling.

Detroit-Windsor Tunnel President and CEO Neal Belitsky told Crain's the project is the final of three phases of tunnel renovations worth $21 million total to be paid out of tolls. The first phase included masonry work done by Livonia-based Ram Construction Services Inc. and the second phase, expected to be completed within the next 40 days, includes electrical and communications work done by Detroit-based Motor City Electric Co. and Windsor-based Vollmer Co.

About 12,000 vehicles travel the underwater tube each day, totaling more than 4 million a year, Belitsky said. The series of shutdowns will lead to $588,226 in toll revenue losses, equivalent to 150,000 vehicles. Belitsky did not disclose its annual revenue.

"We picked the quietest hours and the quietest days to disrupt the least amount of people as possible. We don't think the number will be significant," he said. "We understand it's going to inconvenience some people, but it's no difference when the state or municipality has to work on their roads. It's our turn for a major project."

The last major tunnel renovation that impacted traffic was a roadway replacement in the mid 1990s. The ceiling renovation was originally scheduled for last year, but was delayed so the project could be re-engineered.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...for-17-million

[LMich]

I feel like they are trying to tie this too much into the story of the metro, when it's really more about the specific (and once weird) politics of Troy. But this is really just an update on the fact that issues surrounding the replacement for the old Birmingham Amtrak station have finally come to an end as of two weeks ago, thank god.

Ryan Garza | Detroit Free Press

Was costly Amtrak stop near Detroit worth the fight? Naysayers remain but riders say yes.

By Bill Laitner | Detroit Free Press

August 26, 2017

Whether you love mass transit or hate it, one thing’s certain: It was extremely difficult and surprisingly costly getting a regional train station built in Oakland County.

Last week, two decades of conflict came to a quiet end at a Troy City Council meeting, the site of previous pitched battles over whether this city known for its strong conservative leanings should accept federal funds for mass transit, a concept widely despised in auto-centric Michigan.

At the recent Troy City Council meeting, the mayor who succeeded her oversaw the last of the project’s complex financing approval, with the city formally accepting a final $1.7 million in federal funding, conveyed by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The article goes into the pained history of the project, which I'm no longer interested in. But mainly, this is about this being done, and it having defeated Troy's brief and embarrassing stint with Tea Partyism. The next two active proposals for station replacement in Southeast Michigan are Ann Arbor and Detroit, the former far into its final planning stages, and the latter kind of on the back-burner but still planned.

[Docta_Love]

Good news but with the bidding process going back to square one because of some bike lanes it feels a little less than satisfying.

Court tosses lawsuit by Moroun companies aimed at stopping new bridge

By CHAD LIVENGOOD
Crain's Detroit Business
August 29, 2017


(MDOT is seeking to take up to one-third of Moroun family's 300-bay Central Transport trucking terminal and fueling station on Jefferson Avenue to make way for the bridge landing and space for construction operations.)

A Michigan Court of Claims judge on Tuesday tossed out a lawsuit filed by six companies owned by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun that sought to challenge construction of a new Detroit River bridge to Canada.

Judge Cynthia Stephens ruled that the Moroun-owned companies' late December 2015 challenge of Gov. Rick Snyder's June 2012 crossing agreement was beyond a one-year statute of limitation for filing a lawsuit against the state.

Moroun's Detroit International Bridge Co., Central Transport LLC, Crown Enterprises Inc., Riverview-Trenton Railroad Co., CE Detroit LLC and DIBDetroit LLC own 17 parcels in Detroit's Delray neighorhood that are in the path of the bridge's landing and customs plaza that will be linked to I-75.

On Dec. 29, the companies filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the crossing agreement Snyder forged with Canadian for Canada to finance the new Gordie Howe International Bridge.

The Republican governor's action effectively went around the GOP-controlled Legislature, which had blocked for years Michigan's involvement in building a new publicly owned bridge that would compete for lucrative truck traffic with Moroun's 88-year-old span.

Stephens said the companies should have sued within a year of the agreement being forged.

"They seek to challenge the validity of the agreement from its inception, which is entirely unrelated to the condemnation proceedings, and which could have been raised regardless of the condemnation proceedings," Stephens wrote.

Moroun's loss at the Court of Claims is the latest setback in a yearslong political and legal battle the billionaire trucking mogul and his family companies have waged to block a competitor and build a twin span to the Ambassador Bridge.

Stephens also rejected a challenge to the way the state is getting reimbursed by Canada for purchasing property for the bridge. She said the lawsuit surpassed a one-year statute of limitations to sue over that restricted state spending.

The Moroun companies also had challenged how the Michigan Department of Transportation is using condemnation to take land needed for the bridge's landing, customs plaza and connection to I-75.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ing-new-bridge

[LMich]

Now, this article seems to be saying that there has been no significant delay, only four months.

Bidding process extended for Gordie Howe Bridge

By The Detroit News

August 31, 2017

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority has extended the bidding process for construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge by four months.

The authority said Thursday it would accept proposals from companies beginning in May and ending in September 2018.

Officials say this extension should not affect plans to start construction of the bridge in 2018.

The authority says it has already made progress on the bridge with $350 million in ongoing work at the Canadian and U.S. project sites.

“Throughout the procurement process, WDBA will continue to deliver preparatory activities on both sides of the border,” the authority said in a press release. “Doing this work now enables our private-sector partner to begin construction as quickly as possible in 2018.”

[animatedmartian]

Article still mentions the bridge won't be open before 2022. It's not a delay per se, but there's been additions to the overall project that have extended the length of construction time. More construction work, more time needed to finish.

But yea, 2+ extra years just because of the bidding process, bike lanes, and the community agreements does seem excessive.

[LMich]

Is it two extra years, though? When was the original year of completion? I feel like I might not have been following this closely enough.

[Innsertnamehere]

2020 was the completion date for a long time. It has been obvious for a while now that the date wasn't going to happen though, they have just finally updated it. These kinds of bridges simply don't get built in 2 years.

With the P3 not closing until 2018, 4 years for construction is reasonable.

The real problem is the ridiculous amount of time it took to close the RFP. The 401 extension in Windsor is going to be done for over 7 years by the time the bridge opens. That is a big gap considering how empty the extension will be until it opens.

[Docta_Love]

Here's a excerpt from a press release from April 2016 that talks about the international greenway's plan, this push toward a unified international/regional greenway system appears to potentially be behind what appears to be a change of mind to add bike lanes to the G.H.B. hopefully we will hear more about it to come.

US-Canada Greenways Vision

We’re exciting to be a partner in this collaborative effort that has produced more than an international greenways map. It is a vision to connect the growing bike and walk networks on both sides of the Detroit River.

From the April 24th, 2016 press release: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwQ...NVSWNWcDQ/view

A U.S. – Canadian partnership is hoping a new map will encourage people to grab their bikes and explore both sides of the Detroit River. The group has released a binational greenways vision map to connect emerging international greenways, trails, and bike lanes, establishing safe and convenient routes for pedestrians and bicyclists.

It is the vision of these Canadian and U.S. partners to encourage stronger linkages between emerging greenways of southwest Ontario and southeast Michigan via future dedicated bike lanes on the new Gordie Howe Bridge and a possible future ferry system between Windsor and Detroit.

Partners in this project include: Bike Friendly Windsor Essex, Canadian Consulate General, City of Detroit, City of Windsor, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Detroit Greenways Coalition, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, Downtown Detroit Partnership, Essex County, Essex Region Conservation Authority, National Park Service, Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wheelhouse Detroit and Windsor Bicycling Committee.

http://detroitgreenways.org/us-canada-greenways-vision/

[Detroit1995]

Well now things just got interesting...

http://www.freep.com/story/money/201...oit/639069001/

[The North One]

"Construction on a replacement span would not begin unless and until further governmental approvals in the U.S. are obtained and several conditions established by Canada are met,"

Transport Canada, the Canadian government agency that issued the permit, said those extra conditions include dismantling the existing Ambassador Bridge when the replacement bridge is open, improving local infrastructure, creating new public green spaces, and protecting the environment and considering Indigenous interests.

lol yeah, that's never going to happen.

[LMich]

Yeah, my gut is telling me that this is nowhere near being what Moroun thinks it is. Anyway, it's the first confirmation that he'd have to tear down the Ambassador, which I think is a crime.

In a perfect world, I'd like to see another owner - maybe even the state - get possession of that crossing, renovate it, and then use it exclusively for cars diverting truck and excess car traffic to the Gordie Howe. The government could subsidize any loss of truck revenue to make such cooperation between the two crossings work. I always thought it was unfortunate that the new bridge wasn't thought up much earlier to have avoided expanding the truck gateway in the area. There is no reason to have this giant plaza splitting Corktown and such from the right of Southwest Detroit. It's not healthy for the citizens around the bridge, and it's ugly aesthetically and a disaster of urban planning.

I'm still a bit irked the Trudeau government allowed even this. I don't know if the Canadian government was legally obligated to do this, but I'm not sure why they could have kept delaying this until at least the shovels were in the ground for the Gordie Howe. Whether or not this decision makes Moroun's new bridge any more likely, this was clearly a short-temr PR win for him he shouldn't have been given, and he's slobbering all over Trudeau with platitudes.

[Docta_Love]

The Canadian gov. doesn't give a damn about this area (Windsor included) other than the huge trade profits they make, this can be also seen in there willingness to build a nuclear waste dump a mile from Lake Huron!

[Docta_Love]

I posted this over on the Detroit development page but as the prospective development is transit related and it talks about a Michigan ave street car plan similar to the Qline being backed by the Moroun's ill post it here. I'm not under any illusions with who we are dealing with so ill repeat what i said before, but it is a good idea at the very least.

Here's a very interesting article as Mathew Moroun says "if we decide to really push this" is the key and i'm not going to break out the champagne because of talk of turning the concourse into a mass transit hub, but none the less this would be the best possible outcome. However this could just be another PR ploy but i'm hearing what i want to hear so ill keep listening for now.

Moroun's vision for Detroit depot? Trains

September 11, 2017
Crain's Detroit Business
By CHAD LIVENGOOD



From mini-mall to car museum, Matthew Moroun has heard every idea imaginable for what to do with the expansive concourse of the long-vacant Michigan Central Station train depot in Detroit.

But he’s starting to settle on an ambitious, if not audacious, concept that he calls “the oldest idea for the depot.”

Trains.

Like the kind that carried passengers to and from the Detroit train station for nearly 75 years before Amtrak ceased service in 1988 and the abandoned depot began a long decline that mirrored the city’s descent.

“It’s crazy, right?” Moroun said in an exclusive interview with Crain’s. “The idea that we’re most focused on now, the one that seems to make sense, is in the name of the building and it’s what it used to be used for.”

The son of billionaire transportation mogul Manuel “Matty” Moroun seems serious about making the depot a mass transit hub again as he embarks on a mission to save an iconic symbol of Detroit’s 20th century rise and fall.

Matthew Moroun is floating the idea to transportation planners and government officials ahead of the Michigan Central Station playing host Wednesday night to former Detroiters at the kickoff dinner for the fourth annual Detroit Homecoming, produced by Crain’s Detroit Business.

“If we decide to really push this ... it’s not to start out trying to solicit politicians and governments or whatever for money. It’s to see if I can get folks to embrace it, that future vision,” Moroun told Crain’s. “We need to put the depot back on the map.”

Moroun envisions the depot having a straight-shot rail line to Detroit Metropolitan Airport and being a stop for Amtrak’s high-speed train routes to Chicago and a connection to Ontario’s VIA through the adjacent rail tunnel that dips below the Detroit River.

One of the biggest obstacles to redeveloping the train station is its location along Michigan Avenue on the outskirts of Corktown, nearly two miles west of Campus Martius in the central business district.

To overcome that barrier, Moroun said a second QLine streetcar line could be built along Michigan Avenue to connect downtown with the depot (like there used to be in the first half of the 20th century, as evidenced by old rails exposed along Michigan).

“All of that is big bucks. I get that,” Moroun said. “But all of those moves are moves that happen over a long period of time because of a mass transit plan.”

In pitching the idea, Moroun is essentially seeking public feedback — a noticeable departure from the often reclusive nature of his family’s business dealings in Detroit.

Two influential players in Detroit’s transportation planning circles are receptive to the idea of the old train station going back online.

“I’m excited that Matthew and his family are putting the energy into it that they are and that they’re evaluating these different ideas and I think it should be on the table,” said Matt Cullen, CEO of M-1 Rail, the private nonprofit that runs the QLine.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...t-depot-trains

[animatedmartian]

CEO overseeing Howe bridge project removed from post

High-ranking authority staff members were concerned about the pace at which the final bidding stage of the bridge project was proceeding under Cautillo, which lead Duncan and the board to make the decision to remove Cautillo as CEO, sources close to the project said.

The original timetable was to have a contractor by the end of last year and for construction to start right around now. There's no mention in the article on whether the pedestrian addition and the Detroit community benefits (or anything else from the Detroit side) slowed down the process. So the delays might be entirely internal?

[Docta_Love]

Here's an interesting piece it was put out on NPR as a sort of plea for workers. With all the construction work and the strong regional economy so far for 2017 just the Nicholson Marine Terminals in Detroit and Ecorse have received 23 percent more cargo than they did during the first six months of 2016. There was an estimate made by John Loftus the retired directer of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority saying the Port of Detroit which encompasses 25 public and private terminals along the Straits of Detroit says they have been handling 15 - 20 million tonnes annually. If accurate it this would be the highest number in over a decade at least however i was only able to find complete numbers from 2004 - 2014 unfortunately.

Detroit Needs Dockworkers

Pat Batcheller (A.V.)
NPR/WDET
Aug. 3, 2017



Chances are the car you’re driving contains steel that arrived in Metro Detroit on a ship. Oceangoing vessels and Great Lakes freighters deliver many of the raw materials local manufacturers use to make things. The Port of Detroit, which oversees 25 private and public shipping terminals on the Detroit River and its tributaries, handles millions of tons of cargo every year. So far in 2017, the Nicholson Marine Terminals in Detroit and Ecorse have received 23 percent more cargo than they did during the first six months of 2016.

....

“There’s a lot of activity going on, construction-wise,” Loftus says. “A lot of the cargo we handle, especially general cargo, is going into a variety of products.”

Loftus estimates the Port of Detroit handles 15- to 20-million tons of cargo annually, and supports 15,000 jobs in the region. The local shipping industry employs dock workers and truck drivers to move cargo on land, and welders to repair ships. It’s hard work, but Loftus says, many jobs pay well. At one terminal in Ecorse, he says shipyard employees can earn more than $40,000 per year. With benefits, Loftus says total compensation can about $60,000.

Loftus says there’s a shortage of shipping workers in Metro Detroit. Many companies, including Nicholson Marine Terminals, offer training for their workers. He says there are jobs for people who are willing to learn and work hard.

https://wdet.org/posts/2017/08/03/85...workers-video/

[LMich]

Wasn't it literally last year they were talking about how troubled the Port of Detroit was (given them essentially selling themselves to the Moroun's through debt)?