Dignitaries, media and construction workers will mix at a significant Detroit ceremony this spring -- groundbreaking for the $140-million M-1 Rail project. Its streetcars will run three miles along Woodward from Jefferson Avenue downtown to Grand Boulevard in New Center.
Artist's concept shows the Comerica Park stop. (Illustrations by America 2050)
John Gallagher previews that "long-awaited" turning point on the Free Press' front page.
The first passengers could be boarding by fall 2016, said Paul Childs, chief operating officer of M-1. . . .
For workers and residents of greater downtown, M-1 promises connections among different sites and at least a partial solution to the parking shortage in the increasingly crowded areas. The streetcars will run curbside with the flow of traffic. . . .
So far, the M-1 Rail project has raised about $132 million from a patchwork of corporations, foundations, nonprofit agencies and government sources. It needs another $10 million or so, with potential sources already identified for about $6 million of the gap, said Laura Trudeau, a managing director with Kresge Foundation, who works closely with the M-1 effort.
Some additional money is expected to come from the sale of naming rights, according to Gallagher. In Cleveland, for example, a rapid transit bus system is called the HealthLine because of support from the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital.
The article, displayed as a front-page centerpiece, quotes Matt Cullen, CEO of M-1 Rail:
“It’s the right project at the right time for Detroit."
The Free Press also has a route map showing the 11 stops and a planned future stop at Amsterdam Street in Midtown.
Streetcars will run along each Woodward curb, moving with the traffic flow.
