Transportation

Pontiac breaks ground on new transit hub

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July 22, 2010

The new Pontiac Transportation Center, which will be home to both a Greyhound bus and Amtrak train stop, will break ground in about two weeks.A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week for the new station, which is expected to be completed by next summer. The state is funding the entire $1.4 million cost, says Janet Foran, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation.The building will have several green features, including a white roof to reflect the sun, and bioswales, natural collection points for rainwater, which then filter it through native plants instead of draining it into the sewer. Lighting will also include compact florescent bulbs.The actual work is expected to begin in about two weeks. "We hope to have a ribbon cutting next summer," Foran says.The facility will be at 51000 Woodward Ave. and serve as a hub for mass transit, including Amtrak's Wolverine service to Chicago and Greyhound's eight daily routes through Pontiac. There is also a SMART bus stop within sight of the new facility.During the construction, passengers for a train or bus will either have to go online or to another facility to buy tickets. The previous transportation center was demolished in 2008.Source: Janet Foran, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of TransportationWriter: Kristin Lukowski

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Work set to begin on Utica’s pedestrian bridge

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Community Development

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July 1, 2010

Hiking and biking through downtown Utica is about to become easier, as work is set to begin next week on a pedestrian bridge over the Clinton River. The bridge, a component of the 70-mile hike-and-bike trail throughout Macomb County, will connect the Macomb Orchard Trail to downtown Utica as well as the Clinton River Trail in Oakland County. It will provide pedestrians and bicyclists with a safe place to cross the river without having to navigate the busy Van Dyke/M-59 intersection. "The hike-and-bike trail is an amenity that enhances the quality of life for people way beyond the city of Utica," says Utica Mayor Jacqueline Noonan. "People want walkable communities." The bridge will be funded mostly by grants from the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and is expected to be completed by this fall, Noonan says.She points out that Utica is one of the few downtowns on the 70-mile trail plan. It offers people the chance to stop in for some ice cream, visit the library, or make other stops. "It's an enhancement directly to our downtown, to our community, and to the statewide trail system."Source: Jacqueline Noonan, mayor of Utica Writer: Kristin Lukowski

GM creates $100M venture capital subsidiary

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Community Development

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June 10, 2010

Some big institutional wealth is tapping into Michigan's growing venture capital ecosystem. General Motors has established a subsidiary called General Motors Ventures that will identify, develop, and invest in local tech start-ups. The $100 million fund will focus on the automotive and transportation sectors.The entry of a major global corporation like GM could serve as a major boost to the local venture capital scene. Aside from the nine figures' worth of investment capital, downtown Detroit's signature corporate citizen could become a more active player in acquiring emerging start-ups. That could lead to more successful serial entrepreneurs and job creation.GM isn't the first major automotive industry player to enter the local venture capital game. Bill Ford Jr., chairman of Ford, helped found Fontinalis Partners last year. That firm has many of the same aims as GM's subsidiary.Jon J. Lauckner, GM's vice president of Global Product Planning, will lead General Motors Ventures. His appointment takes effect in July. Source: General MotorsWriter: Jon Zemke

Option2Air turns alternative to flying into a start-up

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Arts & Culture

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May 13, 2010

The stereotypical flying experience involves long waits, loud terminals, and sketchy Internet access, which often adds up to an expensive time waste for businesses. The people behind Option2Air believe they have come up with a more time-efficient traveling alternative for the business class flier.The Troy-based start-up offers van rides for business teams to destinations within 200-400 miles of Metro Detroit. Think of these as business class vans that offer mobile office space with plenty of room to work, make calls, and Internet access in a controlled environment at a competitive price."There is a lot of value in sending someone to personally meet a customer," says Sue Voyles, a spokeswoman for Option2Air. "But there is a lot of time lost in an airplane. Let's be honest, you can't do business in an airport."The company got its start offering this service in Michigan earlier this spring. It recently expanded to destinations in Ohio and Indiana and is planning to expand further out in the Midwest. The cost of the service is based on the number of people transported and miles traveled. Option2Air will also pick up customers at their home, office, or location of their choosing and drop them off where they need to go. "We are a great option to airplanes," Voyles says.The company started with a handful of hires and is working with a flexible staffing method, which allows it to grow or shrink depending on the demand. However, it does hope to add more people later this year as it continues to assert itself in the business transportation market.Source: Sue Voyles, a spokeswoman for Option2AirWriter: Jon Zemke

Rail, international projects dominate TRIP list

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Arts & Culture

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May 13, 2010

Projects centered around rail and international crossings are seen as vital to Michigan's economic recovery, according to a report by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit specializing in transportation issues.The report lists the Top 50 projects that will help boost Michigan's economy. At the top of that list is the publicly-funded Detroit River International Crossing, followed by a couple more projects that connect Detroit and Windsor. Also included are a litany of mass transit plans, including the Woodward light rail (No. 4) and the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line (No. 27). Others covering Metro Detroit's tri-county area are rapid transit lines along northern Woodward, M-59 and Gratiot Avenue. These are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and attract billions of dollars in investment. All of them are in some sort of planning stages or political flux.The DRIC proposal is seen as attracting or preserving up to 25,000 jobs in Michigan. The report also calls for constructing a Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal along with making improvements to both train tracks and local roads, upgrading the Ambassador Bridge, and building a Detroit River Rail Tunnel.Source: TRIPWriter: Jon Zemke

WSU offers first degrees in electric auto engineering

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Community Development

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May 13, 2010

Wayne State University is launching the first engineering curriculum in the nation focusing on the electrification of the automobile, and it has a few million in federal stimulus funds to make it happen.The U.S. Dept of Energy gave the university a $5 million grant to set up bachelors and masters degree programs dealing with the emerging sector. The idea is to help start training the next generation of engineers to tackle fuel-efficient automotive technology."We have created and standardized programs that I don't think exist anywhere else," says Mumtaz Usmen, dean of the college of engineering at Wayne State University. Wayne State's Electric-Drive Vehicle Engineering programs are following the transformation of the automotive industry from the gas-powered engine to hybrid and electric-only propulsion systems. The transformation is expected to accelerate as automakers race to meet the new 2020 CAFÉ standards.Expect to see more hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, and electric and fuel cell cars. Wayne State's new degree programs cover all of these areas and relate them to alternative energy sources. The new programs (a bachelor of science in Electric Transportation Technology and a master of science in Electric-Drive Vehicle) are set to begin this fall."This will be the type of curriculum to provide them with the background to be successful and for the automotive industry to be successful," says Jerry Ku, director of electric drive engineering graduate program at Wayne State University.Source: Mumtaz Usmen, dean of the college engineering at Wayne State University and Jerry Ku, director of electric drive engineering graduate program at Wayne State UniversityWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor stadium bridge groundwork to be laid this summer

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Community Development

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May 13, 2010

The Stadium Boulevard bridges aren't coming tumbling down yet in Ann Arbor, but city officials see their replacements coming next spring.Excerpt:You won't be able to see the work being done on the Stadium Boulevard Bridges from State Street this year. All of that activity is taking place behind the scenes where city officials are finalizing plans and lining up funding for the spans above State. Last year, city workers removed part of the 92-year-old bridge after one of the beams began failing. Now it is only accessible by two lanes of traffic on what has become one of the city's most obvious failing (but still safe for the time being) pieces of infrastructure. "When a structure gets to this point it's very, very hard to say how much longer it's useable," says Homayoon Pirooz, a project manager with the city of Ann Arbor.Read the rest of the story here.

Ford’s vehicles now 85% recyclable by weight

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Community Development

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April 29, 2010

Could the day of the biodegradeable/recyclable car be too far off? Not in the minds of the engineers at Ford.The Dearborn-based company's vehicles are now on average 85 percent recyclable by weight. That means they are made of everything from recycled metal to soy and bio-based seat cushions and seatbacks. Reaching 100 percent is something that could happen within the next generation."I don't see that as an unreasonable goal," says Deborah Mielewski, technical leader of plastics research at Ford. Had industry engineers and executives made such goals a priority decades ago, she adds, the company might be closer to that goal today. "If we put that energy into using re-useable and recycled materials we'd be there by now."It's now a priority for Ford, which has been an industry leader in this sort of sustainable automotive manufacturing. Mielewski points out that an average car contains about 300 pounds of plastics. Her colleagues are working on how to make compostable plastic resins strong enough so they hold up for 15 years but will be able to break down not long after that.Such advances mean more than green bragging rights for big corporations to impress the tree hugging crowd. Ford saved approximately $4.5 million by using recycled materials in 2009. And then there is the positive public relations generated from diverting between 25 and 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills in North America alone last year.Among the green products in use inside Ford's vehicle lineup are:Bio-based (such as soy) polyurethane foams on the seat cushions, seatbacks, and headliners on 11 vehicle models. The two million Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles on the road today with bio-foam seats equates to a reduction in petroleum oil usage of approximately 1.5 million poundsPost-consumer recycled resins such as detergent bottles, tires, and battery casings used in underbody systems, such as aerodynamic shields, splash shields, and radiator air deflector shields. The latest example is the engine cam cover on the 3.0-liter V-6 2010 Ford Escape. Post-industrial recycled yarns for seat fabrics on the Ford Escape and Escape Hybrid. A 100 percent usage of recycled yarns can mean a 64 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the use of new yarns.Repurposed nylon carpeting made into nylon resin and molded into cylinder head covers for Ford's 3.0-liter Duratec® engine. The industry's first eco-friendly cylinder head cover is used in the 2010 Ford Fusion and Escape.The automotive industry's first application of wheat straw-reinforced plastic for the third-row storage bins of the 2010 Ford Flex. The natural fiber replaces energy-inefficient glass fibers commonly used to reinforce plastic parts.Source: Deborah Mielewski, technical leader of plastics research at FordWriter: Jon Zemke

MDOT to build bike path along I-275

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Community Development

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April 29, 2010

The rehab of seven miles of bike trail along I-275 in Wayne County got underway this week and promises to make alternative transportation along one of the most heavily traveled corridors much easier.The $4.1 million project will rehab the trail between Hines Drive and Michigan Avenue. The trail was built in the 1970s and hasn't seen any major infrastructure improvements since. Today it suffers from overgrown vegetation, uneven grades, deteriorating bridges, and cracked asphalt."It's in poor condition," says Mike Bellini, transportation engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation. "It gets worse as you go south."The project, paid for with federal stimulus funds, is divided into three sections. The first (the northernmost section) will rebuild the trail between Hines and Koppernick. All work should be done by mid-October.New asphalt will be laid and five bridges rebuilt along the route.Source: Mike Bellini, transportation engineer for the Michigan Department of TransportationWriter: Jon Zemke

$8M Midtown Loop greenway project to break ground April 15

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Community Development

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April 15, 2010

Transportation options are multiplying in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood now that construction on the Midtown Loop greenway has begun, allowing the emerging community to establish itself as the Motor City's most dynamic neighborhood.Excerpt:After seven long years developing plans, raising funds and negotiating easements, University Cultural Center Association (UCCA) is poised to break ground on the Midtown Loop greenway on April 15. The first phase, which runs .85 miles along Kirby between Cass and John R and then south along John R to Canfield, will be complete by October of this year. This fall, a short stretch of the mixed-use path that runs along Canfield between John R and Cass will begin construction and finally, the "loop" will be completed heading north along Cass back to Kirby in the summer of 2011.Sue Mosey, president of UCCA, says the first phase links together several institutions, which will help generate users right off the bat. The path will link Wayne State University, Detroit Public Library Main Branch, Detroit Historical Society, Detroit Institute of Arts, College for Creative Studies, Detroit Science Center and Detroit Medical Center. "There are enough attractions, enough going on, for people to have an experience, which will encourage people to use it," she says.Read the rest of the story here.