WHAT: The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), is hosting a public open house to discuss the current status of the Woodward Avenue Streetcar Project. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information on the initiation of an environmental assessment (to be completed in 2013) that will analyze potential impacts of the proposed project, a 3.3-mile streetcar line along Woodward Avenue between Downtown and the New Center areas of Detroit. Guests can stop by anytime. There is no formal presentation.WHO: MDOT staff, FTA staff, SEMCOG staff, General Public
WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
WHERE: MSU Detroit Center, 3408 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48201
This meeting facility is handicapped accessible. With advance notice of seven days, MDOT can make accommodations for persons with disabilities and/or limited English speaking ability, and persons needing auxiliary aids or services of interpreters, signers, readers, or large print. Please contact Bob Parsons, MDOT, at 517-373-9534, to request accommodations.
BACKGROUND: The Woodward Avenue Light Rail Transit Project was to build a 9.3-mile light rail system beginning in downtown Detroit, extending northwest along Woodward Avenue and terminating near 8 Mile Road (M-102) in Detroit. Recently, the project partners decided to pursue a shorter version of the project that will still bring transit improvements to the Woodward Avenue Corridor, a 3.3-mile streetcar line along Woodward Avenue between Downtown and the New Center area. The project will serve 11 curbside stations for nearly the entire length of the route, transitioning to center-running at the north and south ends of the system. The project would support possible future extensions north of the project terminus, including future Regional Rapid Transit. More information is available at www.michigan.gov/mdotstudies.
FTA and MDOT will begin a supplemental review of the Woodward Avenue Streetcar Project under the National Environmental Policy Act. FTA intends to prepare, in cooperation with MDOT, an environmental assessment (EA) on this version of the project.
SEMCOG is the only organization in Southeast Michigan that brings together all governments to solve regional challenges and enhance the quality of life for the seven-county region’s 4.7 million people.
