The Detroit Department of Transportation will receive $37.5 million in economic stimulus funds, which will be used to update its fleet and facilities. In a statement, Mayor Ken Cockrel, Jr. pledged to "put the money to good use, making
travel in Detroit a more enjoyable experience.”The funds will replace
50 older DDOT buses with 50 new buses, including 
gas-electric hybrid
vehicles. The money also will pay for new bus shelters; new bus stop
signs, such as those at Woodward and Warren and Woodward and Mack; and the improvement of the Shoemaker Terminal and
Garage at St. Jean and East Warren. (Model D writer and bus riding convert Terry Parris Jr.
wrote about the need for better signage and shelters here.)
In other transportation funding for the city, the Department of Public Works will receive $37.5 million for road resurfacing. This $59.3 million package is the second for Detroit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009; the first was more than $30 million in weatherization funds.
The Southeast
Michigan Council of Governments will administer the distribution of any economic
stimulus funds involving transportation in Southeast Michigan. The agency has
indicated the transportation money for Detroit will be available by the end of the month.
Source: City of Detroit
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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