Private-sector money behind a $103 million light-rail transit loop on Detroit's Woodward Avenue could cut 20 years off the planning process of bringing light rail to America's Motor City.  Is anyone in the Mayor's Office and JTA paying attention?

The original light rail starter line would stretch eight miles from Downtown to the edge of city limits.  To avoid having to wait 20 years to do anything by dealing with the Federal Transit Administration, local businesses along the route have decided to fund nearly half of it themselves.

Private money behind transit projects is the wave of the future, said Douglas Bowen, managing editor of 150-year-old New York City-based Railway Age magazine.

"It seems somewhat radical, but you're going to see more of that nationwide," he said. "For cities that don't have an established public transit culture, you're going to have people of means benevolently force-feeding the concept down to the general public level."

The privately financed line would connect downtown with a proposed commuter rail line.  The commuter rail line, which also is being built without the help or approval of the FTA, will connect transit riders to the airport and Ann Arbor (University of Michigan).

The 3.4 mile street-level loop would run between Hart Plaza (downtown) and Grand Boulevard (New Center), with a dozen stops placed in high-traffic areas along the way, that include major businesses, theaters, ballparks, museums and hospitals.  Officials estimate that annual operating costs will be between $4.2 million and $5.6 million.

While the financial backers of this plan have not been officially revealed, Detroit media sources believe the plan is being backed by Roger Penske (CEO of Penske Corp. and Chairman of Downtown Detroit Partnership), Mike Ilitch (owner of Fox Theatre, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings), Dan Gilbert (Chairman of Quicken Loans) and Peter Karmanos, Jr. (CEO of Compuware Corp.).

All have significant private investments along this stretch of Woodward Avenue.  Compuware's headquarters is located at the new Campus Martius Park, Quicken Loans recently announced plans to move 4,000 employees downtown and Ilitch's theatre and professional sports stadiums are located on Woodward Avenue.  Other major institutions along this stretch include Wayne State University, General Motors Corporation, and Detroit Medical Center.

Woodward Avenue Today

Woodward Avenue with rail

What others are saying:

"I am unaware of any commitments to do a stop on our campus for rapid transit," said Harvey Hollins, vice president of government and community affairs at Wayne State. "With that said ... we would wholeheartedly welcome a stop on our campus and near our medical school campus."

"We're not in that group (of backers) right now, but I understand we're going to be meeting with John Hertel soon," said Dwight Angell, director of media relations at Henry Ford Health System. "We're definitely interested."

"There are few single initiatives that can so palpably energize Southeast Michigan's urban core as a modern, efficient light-rail system that serves Detroit's cultural corridor and connects New Center to the Riverfront," Granholm said in an e-mailed statement to Crain's. "I am tremendously excited by the degree of local and regional collaboration that has occurred and gratified by the level of commitment so many major stakeholders have expressed thus far.

"If designed properly, it will completely transform the pedestrian experience throughout the downtown, which I think is the single biggest cultural experience we are trying to work on," he said. "If you do mass transit, regardless of what style, if it's designed properly at street level it will increase pedestrian activity between the stops and at the merchants at the stops."
Michael Solaka, President of the New Center Council.

"The private sector is the place where you go if you want to get things done," said Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. "(The line) can be a catalyst to help show public transit can do well in Detroit."

Woodward Avenue Today:

Woodward Avenue with rail:

Privately financed rail project details:

Cost: $103 million

Length: 3.4 miles (double tracked)

Vehicles: 2 streetcar-style trains powered by overhead electrical wires

Operational Costs: $4.2 million to $5.6 million annually

Funding: Ticket sales, advertising, private money, city general fund or new tax

Metro Jacksonville's message to JTA and City Hall:

It's time to get creative with mass transit planning and implementation.  Both in terms of selected modes and financing opportunities.   There's nothing wrong with trying to finance projects with Federal Transit Authority approval.  However, waiting 20 years for substandard solutions and not having a long range plan already in place is unacceptable.

Its also important to note that this privately financed plan would not be feasible if there was not already some sort of plan in place, which is why it is important to have a goal and vision of what you want to become in the future.  With a long term vision in place, several of our peer cities such as Houston, Seattle, Austin and now Detroit are proving that improving our local mass transit network should not be totally dependent on the needs, wants, and timetable of the Federal government.  It is time for Jacksonville to embrace this type of non-bureaucratic planning and problem solving.

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4/26/08 - Metro Jacksonville has been contacted by the project manager of the DTOGA study in Detroit, in an effort to add the following information for better clarification:

- The DTOGS (Detroit Transit Options for Growth Study) project intends to pursue FTA New Start dollars.  Ridership that will allow the project to qualify for federal funds was announced on April 21, 2008.

- DTOGS representatives believe that the New Starts process will take 5-7 years from beginning to completion, as demonstrated by projects in cities like Minneapolis, Dallas, Denver, Charlotte and Norfolk, VA.

- The privately led effort to jump start the construction of a light rail system in Detroit is a "public-private partnership".

- The proposed Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line, which will tie into the Woodward light rail line, is moving forward with the FTA, because the FTA rejected funding it because of ridership concerns.

- For more information, contact Tim Roseboom, DDOT Project Manager at 313.833.1196 or timros @ ddot.ci.detroit.mi.us.

Additional comments by Metro Jacksonville:

- The light rail images in the article were a part of the DTOGS study and were used by MJ to give readers a visual idea of what Woodward Avenue would look like with light rail.

- While the additional information provided by the DDOT, was originally omitted from the Metro Jacksonville article, the fact and main point of the article remains that a visonary group of private sector leaders are willing to spend private dollars to jump start the construction of a light rail in Detroit between Downtown and New Center, along Woodward Avenue.  As JTA continues their commuter rail and streetcar studies for Jacksonville, Detroit's progressive business community remains a solid example of how the private sector can play a role in making local rail a reality and lesser burden on the public sector.