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$46.7
Million
in
grants
announced
during
Mich.
stop by
US DOT
boss
DEARBORN,
MI -
U.S.
Transportation
Secretary
Ray
LaHood
today
announced
$46.7
million
for 16
Michigan
projects
that
will put
people
to work
renovating
and
building
needed
transit
facilities,
put more
clean-fuel
buses on
the road
and help
communities
plan for
their
future
transit
needs.
The
announcement
followed
a
meeting
between
Secretary
LaHood,
Federal
Transit
Administrator
Peter
Rogoff,
Michigan
Governor
Rick
Snyder,
Detroit
Mayor
Dave
Bing and
local
officials
to
discuss
how to
help
Detroit
and
Southeastern
Michigan
move
forward
with
regional
transit
solutions
and
address
challenges
resulting
from
decades
of
under-investment
in vital
transportation
infrastructure.
“Strengthening
and
modernizing
Michigan’s
transit
systems
will
generate
thousands
of
construction-related
jobs and
put more
money in
the
pockets
of
working
Americans,"
said
Secretary
LaHood.
"But we
must do
more.
Congress
needs to
pass the
American
Jobs Act
so we
can
continue
to
invest
in
critically
needed
projects
to
repair
and
rebuild
our
nation’s
transportation
infrastructure.”
“These
funds
will
allow
the City
of
Detroit
to put
new
buses on
the
street
and
improve
maintenance
on the
rest of
our
aging
fleet,”
said
Detroit
Mayor
Dave
Bing.
“The
support
of
President
Obama
and
Secretary
LaHood
will
help us
improve
transit
in
Detroit
and
throughout
the
region.”
Michigan
projects
receiving
federal
funding
include
the
following
impacting
Detroit:
• The
City of
Detroit
Department
of
Transportation
will
receive
$6
million
to
replace
buses
that are
beyond
their
useful
lives,
$518,291
to
rehabilitate
a number
of
buildings
at its
Coolidge
Terminal,
and
$320,000
to
develop
an asset
management
system
that
will
more
effectively
track
the
condition
of its
fleet,
facilities
and
equipment.
• The
Southeast
Michigan
Council
of
Governments
will
receive
$2
million
to study
transit
options
in a
5.9-mile
section
of the
Woodward
Avenue
corridor
between
Eight
Mile and
Fifteen
Mile
Roads.
The
Michigan
grants
are
among
more
than 300
competitive
discretionary
grants
totaling
nearly
$930
million
announced
nationwide
today by
Secretary
LaHood
and
Administrator
Rogoff
to
rebuild
and
renovate
America's
transit
infrastructure
and plan
for the
future.
The
funds
are from
the
Federal
Transit
Administration’s
(FTA)
fiscal
year
2011
Alternatives
Analysis,
Bus
Livability,
and
State of
Good
Repair
programs.
“This
money
will
ensure
transit
services
in the
City of
Detroit
and the
State of
Michigan
are
reliable
and
desirable
and put
hundreds
of
people
to work
at the
same
time,”
said
Administrator
Rogoff.
“As we
create
jobs and
improve
current
service,
we are
also
looking
to the
future
of
Greater
Detroit
by
continuing
discussions
for a
regional
approach
to
transit
planning.”
“This is
a
significant
investment
in
Michigan's
future,”
Governor
Rick
Snyder
said. “A
modern,
regional
transportation
system
is key
to a
stronger
economy
and an
enhanced
quality
of life
in our
state. I
appreciate
Secretary
LaHood's
willingness
to work
with
Michigan
on its
transit
needs
and I
commend
our
congressional
delegation
for
securing
this
critical
federal
support.”
“These
grants
will
create
jobs and
provide
Michiganians
across
the
state
with
upgraded
public
transportation
options,”
said
Senator
Carl
Levin.
“These
funds
will
support
environmentally
friendly
projects
and are
solid
investments
in
future
growth.”
“Many
families
depend
upon
public
transportation
to shop
and to
get to
class or
to
work,”
said
Senator
Debbie
Stabenow.
“In
these
tough
economic
times
and with
gas
prices
taking
more of
a bite
out of
family
budgets,
these
projects
will go
a long
way in
making
transportation
more
affordable.”
FTA
reviewed
839
project
applications
representing
$4.9
billion
in
funding
requests
from
transit
providers
across
the
country
for the
Fiscal
Year
2011
competitive
discretionary
grant
programs.
Passing
the
American
Jobs Act
would
help
many
more
qualified
projects
to be
funded,
and
create
tens of
thousands
more
jobs.
The
complete
list of
selected
projects
can be
found at
http://fta.dot.gov/grants/13094.html
A light
rail
project
ending
just
south of
Eight
Mile
Road is
being
planned
for a
3.4-mile
section
of the
Woodward
Avenue
corridor.
The
environmental
process
for both
phases
of the
project
was
recently
completed.
Last
year,
Secretary
LaHood
awarded
the
Woodward
Avenue
project
$25
million
from the
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment
Act’s
TIGER
(Transportation
Investment
Generating
Economic
Recovery)
program.
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