Privately-funded plans floated for Woodward light rail

Plans for a privately-funded $103 million light-rail commuter loop along 3.4 miles of Woodward Avenue, from Hart Plaza to Grand Boulevard, are emerging from total secrecy to, um, partial secrecy.

Excerpt:

Michael Solaka, president of the New Center Council, said the system's design is key to the project's success.

"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."

And if the line is successful, it could be the catalyst to getting consensus on a regional system.

"If it creates commerce from the river through Midtown to New Center, I believe that other communities both in the city and outside the community might see that a regional thinking on this isn't so bad," Solaka said. "But you've got to start somewhere."

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