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Weekly UpdatesAplan to construct a 13-station high-speed rail system in central Detroit along Woodward Avenue could be less than two years from reality.
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That is one project that is part of a larger transit plan for Southeastern Michigan being developed by the Regional Transit Coordinating Council (RTCC), the official regional transit plan for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The goal of this umbrella plan is to enhance and expand existing transit service, introduce new rapid transit service and identify funding sources.
SEMCOG is also heavily involved in regional transit discussions, given that the organization creates an updated long-term transportation plan every five years. Its plan will help direct how best to spend roughly $1 billion a year in state and federal transportation funds for southeast Michigan over the next 25 years.
Yet one of the most important stakeholders in the development of a light rail system is the area's business community. Many influential business leaders have been and are currently involved in ongoing discussions about how such a rail system can support the interests of such business and employees.
The timeline for the Woodward light rail system is admittedly an aggressive one, said Matt Cullen, CEO of M1-Rail, a consortium that has been set up to execute the creation of a rail that would run from Hart Plaza to Grand Boulevard along Woodward. The estimated $ 120 million project is in the design and engineering phase and is supported by some of the area's most influential business leaders.
Ultimately this stretch of rail would tie into the Amtrak system westward to Ann Arbor and Chicago and eastward to Royal Oak and Birmingham, Cullen said. The $120 million will be raised through a combination of selling the naming rights to the stations, a $ 35 million funding offered by the Kresge Foundation and other tax credits and funding mechanisms.
Nearly 10 of the 13 proposed stations have received offers to purchase naming rights by such businesses as Penske Automotive, lllitch Holdings and Rock Financial, along with Wayne State University, Cullen said.
"Nothing is finalized yet and there is still a lot to do but you could say we are at the end of the beginning," Cullen said. "I'm very confident this will happen."
Having the train run from Hart Plaza to Grand River is phase one of the proposed Ml-Rail project. Phase two would include tracks that continue further north up Woodward to 11 Mile, Cullen said.
"There are some potential legal, operational and funding constraints, but we have the backing of many business leaders which is making the process a little easier," Cullen said. "There's a lot of excitement for what such a system could offer in growth and development for the region."
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The cities of Troy and Birmingham are also actively involved in a plan to bring a rail system to its communities in a way that will positively benefit the local economy. A redevelopment for a four-acre parcel of land near the intersection of Maple and Coolidge roads bordering on the two cities has been planned for several years. That parcel would include an intermodal transit center adjacent to existing train tracks.
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Chambers of commerce, local business leaders and city administrators are also involved in the planning to create a transit-oriented district (TOD). The law firm of Clark Hill PLLC has been hired to help find funding and organize the project.
"Support of the business community in this project has been extensive and will be critical to the success of the regional transit plan," said Dan Beattie, director of governmental affairs for Clark Hill, which is working with the cities of Birmingham and Troy in securing the necessary funding for the transit center on the border of those two communities.
The cities of Birmingham and Troy have also created a joint planning board, enabled by state legislation and comprised partially of business leaders, to be responsible for that planning.
Another goal is to create a "walkable" community adjacent to this parcel of land that will include other commercial developments. It is possible that a tunnel could be built underneath the rail tracks, Hodges said. That proposed area was a subject of a walkable audit by SEMCOG in late April.
The region's only current mass transit organization also supports the efforts of a light rail system. Approximately 2.5 million residents in Southeastern Michigan live within one-quarter mile of a SMART route, said Beth Dryden, director of governmental affairs for SMART. Adding a rail system would further strengthen that organization's offerings and help more area residents to take advantage of public transportation to and from work.
"There is tremendous business interest in this regional transit project and we're supportive of the plan and excited about new modes of transportation," Dryden said. "There are a lot of ongoing synergies with (SMART), local business leaders, state and federal governments and more."
Mike Scott is a freelance writer
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