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  #301  
Old Posted Aug 3, 2012, 1:50 PM
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I hate to ask the question, but is Wally even a realistic proposal? Does Ann Arbor have such a huge concentration of employment that it can support a commuter rail line running off into low-density suburbia, especially if it doesn't even reach AA's downtown?

If this was Germany, there'd be compact town centers along the way, but the Great Lakes Central doesn't even really hit the low-density town centers that do exist.
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  #302  
Old Posted Aug 6, 2012, 8:52 AM
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I think I may have already explained in the thread, but it's probably pages back, but WALLY (~$30 million capital costs) was chosen as an alternative to the $500 million expansion of the congested US-23 freeway between the two cities.

Beside finding a cheaper way to relieve congestion on the freeway, the local powers also wanted WALLY as an economic development project, and as a demonstration project of sorts to go along with all of the other rail proposals that popped up in the region in the last decade. This is not to mention that the freight railroad which currently owns and is using the line is donating the the passenger cars for the line. BTW, the long-term plan has always to bring this into downtown Ann Arbor with the problem being that the freight railroad that owns the line south of the current stop doesn't want any part of this. If they were able to get this downtown, this would be huge as they could connect it up with the SEMCOG commuter line between Detroit and Ann Arbor. Even outside of that, it's not like northern Ann Arbor (which is currently the terminus) is nothing. It's a major employment center with North Campus and the massive UofM medical center and the largest UofM dormitory.

I'll have to look up the commuter numbers between the two counties, but it is not insignificant. That said, as I showed above, proponents have given more reasons than initial commuter numbers to push this thing.
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  #303  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2012, 12:39 AM
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LaHood: Feds to donate millions to Detroit's streetcar project if 'community can get its act together'


October 15, 2012

By Gus Burns

Read More: http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in..._millions.html

Quote:
The solution to Detroit's mass transportation deficiencies begins with revising misconceptions that municipalities operate as independent islands, Gov. Rick Snyder said at a press conference Monday. And altering that mindset begins with the creation of a Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority. Doing so might entail some additional perks for Detroiters, says U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

It would increase the likelihood of the federal government assisting with the creation of a 3.3-mile streetcar project that planners hope to build from Grand in Detroit's New Center to Grand Martius Park in downtown Detroit, LaHood said. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, Snyder and LaHood met with others during a closed-door meeting in the mayor's office Monday. What resulted seems to be a consensus — at least among Bing, LaHood and Snyder — that an authority is a necessary "first step" to address the region's greater transportation needs.

Lahood was vague, but made a statement that indicated the federal government isn't quite prepared to support the $137 million project backed by downtown business leaders, including Dan Gilbert of Quicken Loans and Roger Penske of Penske Corp. "We're prepared to put on the table millions of dollars if this community can get its act together," LaHood said. "We are very close." LaHood said Detroit is the only major metropolitan city in the country that doesn't have a regional authority. "I think what is important from a Detroit perspective, is we need to stop the infighting," Bing said. "It's OK to have disagreement but if we're going to move this project forward we can't think that it's going to be perfect. "That should not stop us from — in my opinion — moving one of the most important pieces of legislation forward."

.....



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  #304  
Old Posted Nov 26, 2012, 10:18 AM
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Groundbreaking set for Troy transit center

Bill Laitner | Detroit Free Press

November 26, 2012

Groundbreaking is planned Tuesday for a federally funded $6.3-million regional transit center in Troy after nearly a decade of debate.

"It's a great time for our city to do this," Troy Mayor Dane Slater said, adding that the center will spur demand for employment and housing in Troy and nearby communities.

The 2,000-square-foot center will go up near the southwest corner of Maple Road and Coolidge Highway, next to an Amtrak rail line that connects Pontiac to Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor and Chicago. The rails form the border between Troy and Birmingham at that point, and the new center will replace an Amtrak platform on the Birmingham side.

The center will not only board rail passengers but also be a hub for taxis, SMART buses, and passengers on foot and bicycles, city officials said. The U.S. Department of Transportation has set Oct. 1, 2013, as the deadline for the center to open if it's to qualify for federal funding.

...

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  #305  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 1:57 AM
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This is the one that was nearly killed by Tea Partiers, right? It looks good.

I like Michigan's decision to complement the rail line with sleek, modern architecture. Rail travel should be about progress and dynamism, not nostalgia. Does anybody even consider building a Victorian or Romanesque airport?
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  #306  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 2:38 AM
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Originally Posted by ardecila View Post
Does anybody even consider building a Victorian or Romanesque airport?
Probably not, but can you honestly say that wouldn't be utterly bitchin'?
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  #307  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 8:46 AM
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Does anybody even consider building a Victorian or Romanesque airport?
No, but wouldn't that just be the most kick-ass thing you've ever seen? Steampunk airports FTW.

Let's take train design forward and airport design backward. lol

Oh, and yes, this is the one that the tea party mayor tried to kill, who, thank god, was recalled during the last election. They did, however, manage to whittle the thing down to relative barebones.
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  #308  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 9:05 AM
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That overpass probably accounts for half the cost. They could probably have saved quite a bit by settling for a simple walkway across the tracks. Virtually all Metra stations are set up this way, with far higher train frequencies, too. I guess there must be a lot of freight traffic here (and at Dearborn, which has a similar design IIRC).
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  #309  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 9:37 AM
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I'm not sure about the numbers (or even if they are publically available), but this line (Canadian National) is the only major freight line through the urban part of Oakland County, so I imagine it's pretty busy. The only other major freight line is a CSX line in the rural western part of the county.


MichiganRailroads.com

The Dearborn line is a major, heavily used Norfolk Southern line.


MichiganRailroads.com
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  #310  
Old Posted Nov 27, 2012, 8:50 PM
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Pretty sure that blue line through Highland Park is pretty much all grass now.

On the rubber-wheeled side of things...

Quote:
Regional Transit clears Michigan Senate, no sure bet in the state House

The creation of a Regional Transit Authority barely passed the state Senate Tuesday, opening the way for millions in federal dollars to flow into metro Detroit to improve public transportation.

Yet, even after 23 previous legislative tries to create the authority, the deal still is not sealed. The matter still has to go through the state House of Representative, where its future is not certain.

The Senate passed the measure by a 24-14 margin with most of the no votes coming from Republicans.

Sen. Coleman Young Jr., D-Detroit, was the only Democrat to vote against the RTA, but not because he doesn’t support mass transit for the region.

“It has the ability to take property away and that shouldn’t be with anyone other than the elected officials of that community,” he said.

State Sen. Bert Johnson, D-Detroit, said it was high time for the state to move ahead with the authority.

“We are finally moving forward as a region and a state by taking this step toward the creation of an RTA,” Johnson said. “After decades of stalled attempts, characterized by bitter partisanship and territorial disputes, we are closer than ever to achieving the goal of building a functional mass transit system, competing for federal transit dollars and bringing southeastern Michigan into the 21st Century.”

The authority would coordinate the city and suburban bus service provided by the Detroit Department of Transportation and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transit (or SMART). It also would spearhead the creation of a light rail line and bus rapid transit system.

....
http://www.freep.com/article/2012112...text|FRONTPAGE
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  #311  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2012, 8:23 AM
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I just have to say I'm shocked that this thing passed the Senate, and that it was able to get so many Republican votes after the News had done a story just yesterday morning casting doubt that this was going to pass. lol Richardville is some kind of legislative sorcerer.

The hard part is going to be getting it through the house, it seems, as I now that unlike Richardville, Bolger seems to be against the regional authority on principle, though, it makes absolutley zero sense. But, if you told me Richardville could round up ten to twelve Republican votes for this even a week ago I'd have called you crazy.

BTW, this isn't just to get the BRT. LaHood has had $25 million dollars hanging over the region's head all year for the Woodward Streetcar line completely contingent upon the legislature passing bills for the regional authority. If the house can get this done before the end of the year, we could have shovels in the ground for the streetcar the beginning of next year.
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  #312  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2012, 10:40 AM
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A few excerpts from today's Freep story on this that I found interesting:

Quote:
The Senate's bipartisan effort Tuesday was led by an unlikely lawmaker: Sen. Tom Casperson.

Casperson felt slightly out of place last winter as he waited, and waited, for a Detroit bus to pick him up for an 11-hour adventure in public transportation. He was used to the cold, being from Escanaba, but was struck by others who waited -- sometimes for an hour or more -- for perpetually late buses.

"I never heard anybody riding the buses talk about politics," Casperson said. "They were sincerely asking for help."

That's how a Republican from the Upper Peninsula became the main sponsor of the Regional Transit Authority bill that passed the Senate, 24-14, on Tuesday.

Now it's up to the House.
Toms' been pushing thing thing, forever, and it's been amusing to watch a small-town Republican Yooper leading the charge on this while quite a few urban Dems had even put this on their backburner. But, then again, Yoopers have always been a different breed.

BTW, it looks like one the house side, a Republican state rep from my urban area is trying to shepard this thing through the house, though, he's much less enthusiastic about it:

Quote:
"We're going to work our darndest to get it through," said state Rep. Paul Opsommer, R-Dewitt, chairman of the House transportation committee.

Opsommer acknowledged that public transportation in metro Detroit needs fixing, but he hasn't given the bill his unconditional support. He said he's concerned about a provision that would allow the authority to pre-empt local zoning ordinances, and he's unsure whether there will be support from suburban and Detroit legislators.

"I do think we'll have a bipartisan approach to getting this out," he said.
Quite frankly, so long as he's pushing this thing forward, I don't care what kind of qualms he has. lol If we can get this to the governor, we'll have accomplished something it's taken 24 failed attempts to accomplish: a regional transit authority for Southeast Michigan.
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  #313  
Old Posted Nov 28, 2012, 2:23 PM
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I think Joel Batterman best sums up my feelings towards this.

Quote:
For the economic prosperity of the region and to connect our communities, it's just essential that we join the rest of the civilized word in having a good public transportation system.
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  #314  
Old Posted Dec 7, 2012, 5:16 AM
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http://www.mlive.com/politics/index....nsit_auth.html

RTA bill passes the house, narrowly.
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  #315  
Old Posted Dec 7, 2012, 5:27 AM
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One step closer
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  #316  
Old Posted Dec 7, 2012, 5:38 AM
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Originally Posted by ardecila View Post
This is the one that was nearly killed by Tea Partiers, right? It looks good.

I like Michigan's decision to complement the rail line with sleek, modern architecture. Rail travel should be about progress and dynamism, not nostalgia. Does anybody even consider building a Victorian or Romanesque airport?
I think station design should be whatever appeals to the population. If a community thinks a vintage design is what will attract riders with charm and nostalgia...excellent. Hire a great architect. Dearborn felt that way.

Detroit2020

I fear badly done modern architecture does more harm than a clunky postmodern throwback. Milwaukee sure built a gorgeous modern station and the Rosa Parks Center in Detroit came out nice. But not every community will have that kind of money available and a VE'ed modern design will look more like an 80's bus station....yeah that will attract riders.

Personally, I'd always push a sleek and modern design but it sometimes takes convincing when the design is alot of glass and metal panel. They want it to be vandalism proof and never have to clean it. Masonry materials tend to be graffiti resistant, never need to be cleaned, don't really require a warranty, and last the lifespan of the building which is a big sell for cities that don't have the maintenance resources.
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  #317  
Old Posted Dec 7, 2012, 8:55 AM
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http://www.mlive.com/politics/index....nsit_auth.html

RTA bill passes the house, narrowly.
It appears the main bill passed, but the two dealing with zoning and the funding mechanism didn't make it. You know, Snyder has imperiled A LOT of future legislation that he'd have gotten Democratic votes on by pushing Right-to-Work. Stack that on top of him pushing through the emergency manager redo in the lameduck, and you wonder how in the world he think he's going to be able to govern for the next too years with zero Democratic votes.
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  #318  
Old Posted Dec 7, 2012, 10:00 AM
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Wait, Rick Snyder pushed right-to-work in Michigan? Is he out of his mind?

Anyway, glad to hear that Detroit is one step closer. The failure of the zoning measure is a shame... If done properly, it could be tied into some kind of value capture scheme to ensure sustainable funding for transit service.

Hayward, you know as well as I do that it's possible to design modern on a budget. You're right that glass and steel are tricky, but there are plenty of ways to use masonry without doing ye olde train depot or an "80s bus station". Here's a cool one I stumbled across from the 1940s that uses Kasota stone.

Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Depot, LaCrosse WI
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Last edited by ardecila; Dec 7, 2012 at 10:29 AM.
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  #319  
Old Posted Dec 7, 2012, 11:17 AM
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The two supplementals will eventually pass. They may even pass in this toxic lame duck, but if they don't, they'll pass in the next session. Right now, Snyder and the legislature just ramming through so much partisan legislation (emergency manager law redux, conscientious objection clause for Obamacare, restricting recalls, etc...) in the last few weeks, and the Dems are tired of being strong-armed, so they are going to make the Republicans do the heavy lifting, for once.
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  #320  
Old Posted Dec 8, 2012, 1:37 AM
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Wow, I kinda assumed Snyder was a moderate because he's pro-rail. Guess not.

I hope the zoning component does pass... Seems like some serious opposition to that from some property-rights types (although it will only encourage more intense uses, so it expands rather than restricts property rights).
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