On March 18, John Hertel addressed a group of New Center stakeholders as to his progress on the regional transit front. As the Director of the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council for the past two years, he reports directly to the so-called Big 4 -- the county executives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb and the mayor of Detroit -- and is charged with pushing a regional transit agenda forward.
In December 2008, the Big 4 unanimously approved a regional transit plan that calls for 406 miles of transit. Its estimated cost is $10.5 billion and Hertel projects that it will take 25 years to implement.
First up is arterial rapid transit, a.k.a. an improved bus system. There will be hybrid buses "honeycombing" the three counties. The improvements will include more lines serviced more often and stops with shelters that provide actual information.
The next service upgrade will be rolling rapid transit with articulated buses. These "wheeled trains" operate along a dedicated lane with control over traffic lights and stations with restrooms. RRT will be implemented along Gratiot initially, and then expanded to other areas.
Concurrently to Gratiot's upgrade, Woodward between the Detroit River and New Center will see light rail. Hertel pursued private dollars for this particular line because its implementation will "trigger" federal investment in the Detroit-to-Ann Arbor commuter rail line in much the same way that Denver jump-started its five-county system with a privately-funded five-mile line.
The Woodward line is 3.4 miles and will cost about $100 million, $72 million of which is already raised from private donors like Roger Penske, the Kresge Foundation ($35 million over four years) and the Downtown Development Authority ($9 million).
Another boost to the light rail line came from the state legislature, which voted to subsidize operating costs not covered by fares. To wit, typical transit systems only cover 40 percent of their operating costs through ridership, so this state law insures that any gap is covered.
Hertel hopes to see construction start on the M1-Rail project in 2010 and for operations to begin in 2012.
Meanwhile, the next important step in the overall system is the adoption of a Regional Transit Authority that the Big 4 must approve by June 2009 and that then must be adopted into state law.
The next big hurdle will be the adoption of some sort of tax mechanism to fund transit -- no easy sell in a state that many perceive as being overtaxed. "We've made more progress in the last year than in the previous 50," says Hertel. "There are still some big steps to get there."
Source: John Hertel, RTCC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.