Local powerbrokers, state legislature give OK to mass transit plans

Metro Detroit’s Big 4 just did something regional leaders haven’t been able to do for generations – agree on a plan to improve mass transit.The leaders of Oakland, Wayne, Macomb counties and the city of Detroit signed off on the master plan for regional transit championed by Metro Detroit Transit Czar John Hertel. The plan will allow Hertel’s team to streamline local service and pursue federal money for mass transit improvement projects. Among the first orders of business is getting the ball moving on the proposed Woodward streetcar line and the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line. Both projects are expected to either be online or close to completion by late 2010.The state legislature is also passing a number of bills that will allow these projects to move forward. They will basically allow for the establishment of a regional mass transit authority and funding mechanisms.Both projects are expected to lead to billions of dollars of economic development in the neighborhoods surrounding the rail and streetcar stations.Source: Megan Owens, director of Transportation Riders UnitedWriter: Jon Zemke