Michigan Department of Transportation has long-term plans to build a $10 million intermodal station in New Center that will service Detroit Department of Transportation, SMART and Amtrak transit -- along with commuter and light rail (if and when that happens).
In the meantime, the agency has just $1.3 million of Federal Transit Administration monies allocated to the project -- at least for now. So as a first phase, they are clearing the lot they own that is bounded by Cass, Woodward, Amsterdam and the railroad tracks, installing ornamental wrought iron fencing and making the space available for future parking, potentially for
Techtown's reuse of the Dalgleish Cadillac building just across the street. "This area did need to be cleaned up and it does cover the parking area for our final plan," says Therese Cody of MDOT's Office of High Speed Rail and Innovative Project Advancement. "It's a good first step ... we wanted to be good partners with the city of Detroit and the New Center area."
New bus shelters will be installed on Cass and Woodward, and pedestrian access is being improved through work being undertaken by
New Center Council. "They've been a great partner with us to develop this project," says Cody. "They are working on a grant for improvements to the (railroad) underpasses."
Source: Therese Cody, MDOT
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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