approves first stage of Woodward light rail plan project is on track.
The Bing administration made the decision because the City doesn't have a clear revenue stream to pay the estimated $10M in yearly operational costs. The decision ends more than four years of planning, including a recent environmental study and millions and seed money. LaHood said that Transportation had "pretty much signed off on their plan." Earlier in 2011, Snyder had proposed a BRT system. The decision was made in discussion with governor Rick Snyder and U.S. On December 13, the City of Detroit announced that the plans for light rail along Woodward would be cancelled in favor of a regional system of bus rapid transit. November 18: Barack Obama signs a bill allowing funding for the project to go through. Members of the DEGC also have strong connections to the M1 Rail group. The DEGC may be able to clear through political problems because of its development expertise and quasi-independent status. September 15: Bing wants to give management control of the project to the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. The FTA does not allow institutions to take money from bus funding to support the rail system. Rogoff expressed concerns about the number and variety of funding sources, saying stable projects generally have one large funder. The funding could happen before the authority is in place. DDOT expects to apply for the federal money in late 2011 or Spring 2012. September 12: Federal Transit Administration head Peter Rogoff says an RTA will be necessary for the system to be well positioned. City Council has still not approved an authority to manage the rail, saying it would give Bing too much control. Bing has been meeting with members of the private M-1 group. September 1: The Federal Transportation Administration approved the environmental study for the first phase of the project. Station costs were estimated at $2-4M each train car costs at $3.5-4M.Īugust 8: Leaders of cities in Oakland County have come together to apply for federal funding to explore extending the line past 8 Mile, including to Royal Oak and Birmingham. That stop and three others added are expected to raise the cost by $24M to the current $528M cost.
July 13: Bing proposes a 5-person panel to oversee construction of the rail project, with four members appointed by the mayor and one by council.Īugust 7: A stop added at Temple Street suggests a new stadium may be in the works nearby, as the area is otherwise underpopulated, reports Bill Shea for Crains. A source tells Crains the private money will be held until the project improves. The group doesn't think the plan is sustainable, disagrees with the layout, and believes the plan should be more closely tied to regional transit. July: M1 Rail, the private coalition, privately expresses concerns about the plan and refuses to comment publicly.
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