Detroit light rail line wins key approval

[marmar]

from the Michigan Messenger:



Detroit light rail line wins key approval
By Minehaha Forman 7/21/08 3:42 PM
Was last major city without rapid transit system


A light rail proposal by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) made a big stride forward last week when it was approved by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). The plan is to build a light rail transit system on Woodward Avenue between Eight Mile Road and downtown Detroit.

“Detroit is the last major city in the nation that does not have a rapid transit system, but that is going to change with this plan,” Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick said in a statement.

“We approved it because we think that {it's) is a viable project,” Carmine Palombo, director of transport planning for SEMCOG, told Michigan Messenger. “It needs to be in our long range transport plan to make it eligible for federal funding.”

Continued -But the SEMCOG approval is just one of the first steps for the project. According to one regional planning expert, there are still crucial challenges it will face. “It’s still a very long way off,” Joe Grengs, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan, told Michigan Messenger. “It’s an important step but the most important hurdles remain. (Federal Transit Administration) approval and coming up with a plan for local funding are still the biggest issues.”

The first step — the Alternatives Analysis study, also known as the Detroit Transit Options for Growth Study (DTOGS) project — is complete. And last week the regional planning group gave the OK. But the requirements that still need to be met before federal funding is granted are as follows:

Draft environmental impact: “It can’t interfere with the environment. You have to dig underground, everything has to function like it’s been functioning — gas mains, water mains, underground wiring — we don’t want to disrupt anything,” said Rivella Philips, DDOT spokesperson.

Preliminary engineering: A construction and design draft that leads to the final design has to be OK’d by SEMCOG.

Public support: DDOT will be going to surrounding businesses and neighborhoods and educating them on what the light rail will mean to the community and what construction will be like, and asking for their support. “Public participation and involvement is very important and the federal government looks at that heavily,” Philips said. “This is a historical project.” .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michiganmessenger.com/1593/detroit-light-rail-line-wins-key-approval