Transportation

Macomb County to build 27 miles of trails, bike lanes in 2010

By Newsroom

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December 10, 2009

Many more miles of trails and bike lanes are coming Macomb County's way in 2010. The county is expecting 27 miles of new pathways on two of its major trails – Macomb Orchard Trail and Metro Parkway Trail.Construction is expected to begin on a nine-mile connector trail between two sections of the Macomb Orchard Trail. The pathway is already 14.5 miles long and is made up mostly of an asphalt surface. The nine miles of new trail will be made of gravel and connect the cities of Armada and Richmond. Work is expected to finish on the $450,000 project by the Fourth of July 2010, completing Macomb County's first east-west trail. "It will get you from the border of Oakland County to the border of St. Clair County," says John Crumm, program manager of planning and environmental services for Macomb County. Beginning next spring, $3 million will be invested in trails and bike lanes in Harrison Township. The project will create 18 miles of pathways and should wrap up in the early fall."It's a bunch of little projects that connect all of the neighborhoods to the Metro Parkway Trail," Crumm says.Source: John Crumm, program manager of planning and environmental services for Macomb CountyWriter: Jon Zemke

Latest in Transportation

Video Jacobsen Daniels: Planning Airports and the Aerotropolis

By Keith Jefferies

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Arts & Culture

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December 3, 2009

In eight years this airport planning firm has grown more than ten fold, bought a building in downtown Ypsilanti and count many of the nation's biggest airports as their clients. From internships to aerotropolis development, Jacobsen Daniels is not only the kind of new economy business Michigan needs more of, they are passionately invested in their community's future.

Transit use boom in Detroit-Livonia-Warren

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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December 3, 2009

Transit ridership is up in some surprising areas. And none more surprising than in Southeast Michigan. The Detroit-Livonia-Warren ridership jumped 30 percent in the last year.Excerpt:An analysis of the most recent transit use data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that transit use grew by up to 47% in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. from 2006-2008, with several metro regions in the South and West growing by more than 10%....One of the main factors expected to have caused the increase in ridership in these areas was the increased price of gasoline. As gasoline prices increase, transit ridership is shown to increase in major U.S. cities. As Nate Berg reports, "Ridership increases around the country have been linked to the temporary jump in oil prices last year, when the price of oil peaked at more than $147 per barrel in July 2008."Read the entire article here.

GREEN SPACE: Give thanks for increasing number of green options in SE Michigan

By Newsroom

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Environment & Sustainability

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November 19, 2009

Every year, it gets easier to impart the holidays with an air of sustainability -- which is something that Green Space is certainly thankful for. So, in the spirit of the most food-oriented holiday, let us suggest some options from which to purvey your Thanksgiving feast.In her story "The Omnivore's Detroit", Model D's managing editor Clare Ramsey explores several options for obtaining local, organic turkeys for her family's dinner last Thanksgiving. She ended up scoring at Roeske Farms in Hartland, about an hour northwest of Detroit, near M-59 and US 23, but also found Sunshine Meadows Farm in Ortonville and Harnois Farms near Pinckney. Concentrate ran a similar story for those who live in Washtenaw County.Eastern Market and the Royal Oak Farmers Market boast plenty of locally-grown produce that will remind you that celebration of the harvest bounty is truly at the root of this November holiday.In other news, the Lions game on the 26th will be a carbon-neutral event. For the third year in a row, the Lions are partnering with TechTown-based Carbon Credit Environmental Services (CCES) and the Greening of Detroit to plant 650 trees in Detroit that will negate the 466 tons of carbon dioxide emitted by travel to and from the game as well as energy used at the stadium.To get around, consider The Night Move. Thanksgiving Eve, the green shuttle will run its regular weekend route between Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Downtown Detroit from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. as well as a free shuttle for The Night Before Thanksgiving party at the Roostertail (from the Red Wings game at Joe Louis, Fishbones in St. Clair Shores, and Excalibur in Grosse Pointe Park). There's also a Night Move shuttle running to and from the Thursday Lions game, but it's already sold out.Thanks for reading Green Space!Sources: Monica Tabares, Greening of Detroit and Jennifer Harlan, The Night MoveWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Rally around light rail

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 19, 2009

A light rail up Woodward would not just be for Detroit. And a commuter rail from Detroit to Ann Arbor wouldn't just be for those two cities. Mass transit, when done right, could coalesce and serve the entire region.Excerpt:"Gas prices hit $4 a gallon last year and will go up again," he said. "If we can make it so that commuter rail is faster and cheaper and you won't have to pay to park your car, then people will definitely ride." The Detroit Department of Transportation predicts 20,000 daily riders on the Woodward line by 2030, with 11,100 roundtrips per day. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) estimates 5,800 daily riders for the Ann Arbor-Detroit line, with four round trips daily. Rep. Bert Johnson, D-Detroit, whose district includes part of the proposed Woodward Avenue rail route, said it's important for both projects to become a reality. "They are separate plans, but they show regional cooperation." Businesses would move close to the rail routes and the region would be "more attractive to live, work, and play," he said.Read the entire article here.

Transportation Riders United celebrates 10 years

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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November 5, 2009

Transportation Riders United is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month, and what a decade it has been for transit since TRU came on the scene."The attitude has changed dramatically," says Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United. "The public and public officials' attitude toward transit has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. In 1999, transit wasn't even on the radar of public officials and if it was, it was for buses for poor people."Today Metro Detroit is on the precipice of approving a regional plan (and even an authority) for mass transit. Plans for a streetcar along Woodward are on the verge of materializing. A commuter rail line connecting Detroit, Metro Airport, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor is even closer. That's a long way from the everybody-drives-their-own SUV culture of the late 1990s. That's not to say TRU is primarily responsible for this change in perception, but the mass transit advocacy non-profit has certainly played a major role in making it happen. Owens sees potential for even more change in the next couple of years that could literally redefine how Metro Detroiters view and use mass transit."The next couple of years have the potential so we can really see the rails hit the road," Owens says.Ten years from now, she sees not only the current projects up and running but expanded, so the Woodward light rail stretches as far north as Royal Oak and the commuter rail line also swings up to Birmingham and Pontiac. Other possibilities include expanding these lines into Macomb County and the Downriver area, plus a much more effective and comprehensive bus system across southeast Michigan.This is not about maps, tracks, and technology," Owens says. "It's about making people's lives more convenient."TRU's 10-year anniversary celebration will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Majestic Theater in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. For information, click here or call (313) 963-8872.Source: Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders UnitedWriter: Jon Zemke

GREEN SPACE: Detroit riverfront companies receive $450,000 in federal cleanup dollars

By Newsroom

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Environment & Sustainability

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November 5, 2009

Southwest Detroit has borne a disproportionate amount of transportation-related environmental burdens for the entire Southeast Michigan region. Why is that? Its proximity to multiple freeways, train tracks, the Ambassador Bridge, and the Detroit River has resulted in a preponderance of transportation infrastructure and the accompanying emissions. Some good news for the area: the receipt of two Michigan Clean Diesel Recovery and Reinvestment Project grants from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) that total more than $450,000. The money will be used by applicant partners Waterfront Petroleum Terminal Company ($309,913) and Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company ($141,700), both located on the Detroit River, to replace inefficient diesel engines. The grants are funded by the Diesel Emission's Reduction National Program (DERA) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and were facilitated by AKT Peerless Environmental & Energy Services and the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA). Established in 1993, Waterfront Petroleum Terminal Company is a fuel and energy supplier to electrical utilities, steel producers, road builders, vessels on the Great Lakes, and government clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense and municipal accounts including the City of Detroit. The company also provides downstream distribution services, transportation solutions, consultation, design, equipment, and financing solutions. The DERA grant dollars will go towards replacing propulsion engines, generator sets, and shore pumps with more efficient equipment. Since its inception in 1928, Nicholson Terminal & Dock Company has been an above-the-waterline shipyard and shipping terminal. It operates two port terminals, one in Ecorse and one in Southwest Detroit, where activities such as truck, rail car, and barge loading and unloading, container stuffing and stripping, securing, cargo sorting, cargo assembling, and short- and long-term storage take place. Nicholson will replace old diesel engines with new ones in order to reduce emissions. Source: Rebecca Binno-Savage, AKT Peerless Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Oakland U adds more green vehicles to its campus

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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November 5, 2009

Oakland University's vehicle fleet is becoming greener around the mud flaps now that it has added some zero-emission trucks to its mix.The university's Facilities Management department purchased three Miles ZX40ST electric trucks. Each one charges from a standard 110-volt outlet and has expected regenerative breaking and a battery life measuring out to 25,000 miles. The trucks have a payload capacity of more than 1,000 pounds each. They are street legal and can drive as fast as 50 mph, although they are built to go at speeds of around 25 mph. "They're not only lightweight but they can do all of the work the little Mitsubishi gas-powered trucks can do," says Jon Barth, manager of custodial and grounds for Oakland University. "They're working very well for us." Oakland University bought them from North Central Zenn in Ohio for about $14,000 each. Officials expect to save as much as $2,500 on annual gas and maintenance costs. The vehicles will be evaluated over the winter and summer to see if these projections pan out.These are not the first environmentally friendly vehicles the university has purchased for its Rochester campus. It also uses an assortment of gas-powered pickup trucks and vans built by the Big Three. Source: Jon Barth, manager of custodial and grounds for Oakland UniversityWriter: Jon Zemke

Ford, U-M work on accelerating hybrid development

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 29, 2009

Researchers from the University of Michigan and Ford are working together to turn your hybrid car into a math equation. The idea is to find the optimal levels for fuel economy, parts lifespan, comfort, and overall driveability for hybrid power systems, a technology that is still in its infancy. "Once we have developed a mathematical model of the power system and what Ford engineers are trying to optimize, we can tell them what the optimal efficiency is," says Jessy Grizzle, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan who is working on the project with U-M PhD student Daniel Opila.The bottom line is in trying to figure out the best way to meet a customer's needs and increase satisfaction level. This includes maximizing fuel efficiency, but not at the expense of wearing out the drive train or other parts.Source: Jessy Grizzle, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor moves forward on East Stadium bridge replacement

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 29, 2009

Ann Arbor is working on another big bridge project near Michigan Stadium.Excerpt:The East Stadium Boulevard bridges near Michigan Stadium are about to undergo a transformation that will eventually lead to their replacement within the next couple of years.The 92-year-old bridges have begun to fail, prompting city officials to remove and replace the structures that normally have a 75-year lifespan. The bridges span State Street and a railroad line. The City Council recently authorized the removal of five of the 16 concrete beams after one began failing earlier this year."This particular beam went from bad to worse in the last winter because of the freeze-thaw cycle," says Homayoon Pirooz, a project manager with the city of Ann Arbor. The city will be removing the first four beams rather than just taking out beam No. 5, he adds.Read the rest of the story here.