A fellow student in my urban politics and policy class introduced me to this simulated demo of the hypothetical plan for Detroit's Woodward light rail transit. The proposal calls for a 9.3 mile stretch of rail that extends from Downtown Detroit to the Michigan State Fairgrounds, including 13-15 stations along the line. Right now, the starter costs to construct the line exceed $371 million dollars, with 50-60 percent funding allocated by the federal government. MDOT and other regional governments predict that Detroit's light rail could generate up to $933 million dollars in economic development, as well as 12,000 new jobs. In addition, local officials have talk about the creation of economic development zones along the Woodward corridor to help retain capital for even greater long-term transportation infrastructure in the region.
Seriously, this is first time in over thirty years that our region has even remotely considered a regional approach to transportation. Forget all of the Detroit versus suburbs bitching and let's work collectively to get behind these kinds of projects. Remember the utter failure of the People Mover? Yeah..... the region should save themselves the risk of another embarrassment. Visit www.woodwardlightrail.com for more details.
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