And the bridge battle goes on

The fight over twinning the Ambassador Bridge keeps getting messier. Yesterday the bridge company accused MDOT of dumping 10,000 tons of dirt onto a new truck ramp out of spite. The company filed a lawsuit in May seeking to block construction of a rival, publicly-funded span, and they say the dirt was dumped in retaliation. MDOT says no, the dirt is temporary, but the bridge company may have jeopardized federal funding for the massive Gateway Project by unilaterally changing the design of the bridge plaza, among other infractions. The same issues were cited by the U.S. Coast Guard last week when they ordered the company to stop all work on the new, unapproved span.

To say this spat is getting complicated is to greatly understate the case, but the most surprising development to emerge in the last few weeks is that Matty Moroun, the Grosse Pointe billionaire who owns the Ambassador Bridge as well as Michigan Central Depot, may finally be getting boxed in. The odds have always favored Moroun--he's got the money and the track record to do what he wants, public opinion and the law be damned--but it looks like he may have overplayed his hand. The company has cut off part of Riverside Park without title to the land, shut down access to part of 23rd Street without permission, built the ramp to a new bridge without a permit to do so, and so far failed to divert truck traffic from neighborhood streets.

That's led to doubt or outright opposition from nearly all Southwest residents and community groups, all levels of government in Canada, the City Council, MDOT, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the state representative for the area, Rashida Tlaib, as well as most media observers. Moroun still has a few backers -- a handful of community groups, who co-signed the lawsuit against the public span, and some Michigan lawmakers, mostly Republican, who'd rather see a bridge built at private expense. But the opposition is growing, and for good cause.

Update: MDOT sues the bridge company for disregarding its contract. This is getting intense.

Light rail plans (not) reconciled

Light rail is a go. That was the word on Thursday, when Matt Cullen told reporters that Detroit's two proposed rail plans -- one public, one private -- had reached an accord, freeing the private group to begin construction on the first leg, from downtown to New Center.

Now the city's saying not so fast. If construction begins on the private M1 rail before DTOGS (the public plan) finishes its environmental review, then the federal government can't accept the $125 million behind the private effort as part of the local matching funds that the city will need to qualify for federal funding. In other words, DTOGS would be dead, because neither the city nor the state is likely to come up with that kind of money later on.

As it is, the two plans don't exactly mesh. They use different vehicles, run at different speeds, and have different alignments (curbside vs. center of the street). Naturally, they also have different operators. So even if both are built, the ride up Woodward won't be seamless. Riders will presumably have to get off at New Center and switch trains. Still, I'd gladly take two systems over none. I just fear that soon we'll be settling for just the one -- and waiting half a decade or more to see any progress on its expansion.

Light rail to run *next year*

The proposed light rail line between Downtown and New Center will be operating by late 2010 (says the Free Press). Realistically, the project will be delayed until at least early 2011, but that's still exciting news. Hopefully this privately-funded project will be integrated with DTOGS, the city's own plan to extend mass transit up and down Woodward and eventually the other main arteries of the city. The 2010s will be the decade that mass transit returned to Detroit.

The battle of the bridge goes on

Good news. The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a government-led plan to build a new bridge to Canada a mile downriver from the current one. Just don't expect to see it built any time soon. Matty Moroun, the owner of the Ambassador, has vowed to sue the Detroit River International Crossing Project to prevent it from competing with his plan to build a new, privately-held span directly alongside the Ambassador. DRIC has strong support in Southwest Detroit and Canada, but Moroun is a billionaire and a bully (see Forbes) with many Michigan lawmakers on his side. This will be a long fight.

Transit in sight

The News has a great essay on the new regional mass transit plan, how it will work, and what remains to be done -- namely, fund it. To get involved and stay up to date, check out Transportation Riders United, the transit advocacy group. (Is three links enough?)

Yes, please!

The Free Press's John Gallagher reports on an overdue plan to add bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and landscaping to Detroit's main thoroughfares. As Gallagher writes, "Detroit's main streets make good highways but lousy neighborhoods." Gratiot is great for driving -- lots of lanes, no traffic -- but it's no good for pedestrians or business. Narrowing the main roads will "recapture Detroit's cityscape for the people who actually live here."

(Artist's rendering by Giffels-Webster Engineers)

Get involved with TRU

Local transit advocates Transportation Riders United are hosting an Open House tonight at 6:30 pm for new volunteers interested in bringing rapid transit to Detroit. TRU's office is on the 16th floor of the Guardian Building (500 Griswold - Suite 1650).

Light rail plans officially announced

Model D and Metromode have an enthusiastic report on Monday's official announcement of the DTOGS plan for a Woodward light rail line.

Meanwhile, according to Crain's, the anonymous group that's considering privately funding a light rail line on Woodward from Hart Plaza to Grand Boulevard will meet with DTOGS, presumably to discuss coordinating the plans.

We. Need. Transit.

Two great editorials on transit in Sunday's Free Press. The first explains the critical need for a "comprehensive national transportation policy" and the second brings the article closer to home, emphasizing how badly our region needs a major transit success story.

The editorials are part of an excellent, ongoing series in the Free Press "on the nation's glaring lack of an agenda for cities and viable solutions to the problems affecting our most populated regions." Previous editorials discussed the critical importance of cities, the problem of urban poverty, and the need to fight urban crime. The whole series is online at http://www.freep.com/cities.

Event: Regional transit meetings

For the past year and a half, John Hertel, the "transit czar" hired by the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council, has been meeting with area leaders to build consensus on a regional transit plan. Now he's taking public input at three open houses:

• Tuesday, April 8, from 3-7 pm, at the SEMCOG offices in the Buhl Building (535 Griswold) in downtown Detroit

• Wednesday, April 9, from 3-7 pm, at the Oakland County Commission offices (1200 North Telegraph Rd) in Pontiac

• Thursday, April 10, from 3-7 pm, at the Macomb County Commission office (1 S. Main Street - 9th Floor) in Mt. Clemens

The future of this region depends on mass transit. That's why the Detroit News published an editorial today in favor of a strong regional transit authority that can move this plan forward.

Public transit under attack

The Washington Post has a must-read article this week on the Bush administration's approach to transit policy. This is something we should all be aware of and worried about.

Bush appointees at the Department of Transportation are working to reduce traffic congestion by converting roads into privately-operated, for-profit toll roads. At the same time, the agency is reducing funding for mass transit, denying funds to new light rail projects, like the one proposed for Woodward in Detroit. Most fundamentally, the agency itself is being starved of funds. The gas tax has not been raised since 1993; assuming annual inflation of 3%, the tax rate today is therefore effectively 64% of what it was in 1993. The administration supports the continued reduction of the agency's budget because it will force the further privatization of transportation.

Detroit one step closer to transit

From yesterday's press release: DTOGS is "recommending a light rail transit (LRT) line along an eight-mile stretch on Woodward Avenue as the best opportunity to begin building a regional rapid transit system in the Detroit area."

The estimed cost is $372 million with 11,100 riders per day. Federal funds would pay for about 50-60% of that; the remainder would have to come from state, local, or private sources. Ina best case scenario, construction could begin in 2010!

DTOGS will be holding public meetings next week to get input on the proposal. Go voice your support! Transportation Riders United, as always, has more info.

Last week's news

Here's a quick rundown of some stories I missed from the News and the Free Press:

• A convention of 2,500 mayors won't be coming to town thanks to Kwame.

• The Free Press profiled Southwest Detroit and the Majestic Theater Complex

• A new public bridge to Canada, if built, will damage Delray

• Wayne County's TURBO program seems to be fostering development (but not without some controversy)
  

• The Kerner Commission found (as anyone from Metro Detroit should know) that we've made little progress reducing racial disparities in the past 40 years
  

Light rail rumors

Crain's Detroit reports again on rumored plans to build a privately-financed light rail line along Woodward. They first broke the story last week. Most of the details are still secret -- like who might foot the bill -- but it's exciting nevertheless.

This semi-secret proposal differs from the study currently being conducted by the Detroit Department of Transportation to bring rapid transit to the city. That study, called Detroit Transit Options for Growth, is following federal guidelines and would be publicly financed. My hunch is that DDOT's study is still the city's surest bet.

Mass transit summit on March 3

Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick will host a major Mass Transit Summit on March 3 at Wayne State's Community Arts Center. Participants will include representatives from the successful transit systems of Charlotte, Denver, and Houston as well as local panelists including John Hertel, the local "transit czar", Carmine Polombo of SEMCOG, and Megan Owens, the executive director of Transportation Riders United.

Registration for the all-day summit begins at 8 am; the program will run from 9 am to 2 pm. The Community Arts Center is located at 450 Reuther Mall (see the campus map). Check TRU's website in the days ahead for more information.

The battle of the bridge

The Free Press finally takes a look at the struggle to replace the Ambassador Bridge.

On one side is Matty Moroun, the billionaire trucking magnate and current owner of the Ambassador Bridge as well as Detroit's most famous ruin, the Michigan Central Depot. Moroun, who is widely reviled in Southwest Detroit for his indifference to the community, wants to close the Ambassador Bridge and build a new six-lane bridge directly beside it. An alternative proposal is being studied by the Canadian, American, Michigan, and Ontario governments. That proposal calls for a government-operated bridge to be built a mile downriver from the Ambassador.

The latter is clearly the better choice. Although some Michigan officials like the idea of Moroun covering the costs of a new bridge, it's crazy to continue to let the most important economic crossing in the United States be controlled by one reclusive billionaire, especially when his plan will further jeopardize the neighborhoods on either side of the bridge and doing nothing to limit security risks.

For a better idea of what's at stake, see Forbes' profile of Moroun, The Troll Under the Bridge. This is a critical issue that needs more public discussion.

Troy/Birmingham taking transit seriously

Urban planners dream of transit-oriented development (TOD) -- development that depends on and encourages the use of mass transit. It is the opposite of sprawl.

Troy and Birmingham are the first cities in the region to consider the concept. Plans are being made to create a new transit center to connect the cities' downtowns and make both more walkable. Urban Land, the journal of the Urban Land Institute, recently published a story on their efforts: Next TOD Stop? A proposed transit center in suburban Detroit, Michigan, could bring transit-oriented development to the Motor City (PDF file).

Coupled with the Community Foundation's Greenways Initiative to re-introduce green space where concrete now prevails, one can envision a new future for Southeast Michigan with far more greenery and a network of local downtowns connected by rapid transit to the thriving urban core of Downtown Detroit. But that, of course, is wishful thinking ...

Transit meeting

Anyone interested in bringing rapid transit to Detroit should head downtown Monday to attend "Detroit Transit in 2008," a presentation by Transportation Riders United. Speakers include Rep. Marie Donigan, Chair of the Michigan House Public Transit Subcommittee, John Hertel, CEO of Detroit Regional Mass Transit, and Hayes Jones, the new General Manager of SMART.

The meeting is Monday, January 28 at 6:30 pm at the Boll Family YMCA's Marlene Boll Theater at 1401 Broadway Street. TRU requests a $5-10 donation to cover meeting expenses. Dinner will be provided.

The struggle for mass tranit

Rapid mass transit may finally be coming to Detroit. For the first time in decades, that statement is more truth than myth, in part thanks to the efforts ofTransportation Riders United, a Detroit-based nonprofit working to make a regional, rapid mass transit system a reality.

Metromode reports on the slow but steady progress being made on the transit front.