http://www.freep.com/article/20111214/NEWS01/112140422/Detroit-light-rail-plan-is-dead-buses-will-be-used-instead?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Welcome to new Transit Members: Antrim County Transportation (Al Meacham), Benzie Transportation Authority (Susan Miller), Crawford County Transportation Authority (Julee Dean); and new Professional Member: Indian Trails, Inc. (Chad Cushman). Glad to have you aboard!
The Michigan projects include:
— 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 15 Mile.
— The Blue Water Area Transportation Commission will receive $6.9 million to replace the existing Quay Street Transfer Center with one that is more centrally located in downtown Port Huron.
— The Capital Area Transit Authority in Lansing will receive $4 million to replace buses in its fleet that are beyond their useful lives with hybrid-electric buses and to rehabilitate existing buses to extend their useful lives by five years.
— The Macatawa Area Express Transportation Authority will receive $2 million to replace its aging bus facility with one that will meet the needs of the current fleet while allowing for future expansion. The new facility will include a number of LEED design aspects to allow savings on operating expenses.
— The Thunder Bay Transportation Authority will receive $6 million for phases one and two of a new administration and maintenance facility. This facility will incorporate the newest circulation and ventilation system to reduce the harmful emissions from the diesel fleet. To reduce operational costs, the facility will also include additional LEED and green design techniques to the greatest extent possible.
— The Michigan Department of Transportation will receive $746,770 for public transportation bus equipment projects across the state in rural and small urban areas.
— The Mass Transportation Authority in Flint will receive $5.2 million to purchase hybrid buses to replace city buses in its fleet that are beyond their useful lives, and $3 million to purchase CNG coaches to replace commuter buses in its fleet that are beyond their useful lives.
— The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority will receive $2.6 million to purchase clean diesel buses with hybrid-electric components to increase bus service along the Washtenaw Avenue Corridor. The project is among a number of strategies for transportation and development improvements in the corridor.
— The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority will also receive $1.2 million to study transit alternatives in the 8.5-mile crescent-shaped corridor extending from northeast Ann Arbor through the University of Michigan North and Central Campus, through the U-M South Campus to Briarwood Mall near Interstate 94.
— The City of Grand Haven/Harbor Transit will receive $607,200 to purchase additional vehicles to allow the expansion of service into a nearby township not currently served by transit.
— The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation will receive nearly $5 million to replace buses in its fleet that have met their useful lives with hybrid biodiesel/electric buses.
— The Interurban Transit Partnership will receive $600,000 to study the 12-mile Allendale corridor along Lake Michigan Drive/M-45 connecting the Grand Valley State University Allendale campus, the Standale/downtown Walker area, the GVSU Pew Campus, and downtown Grand Rapids.
The grants are to renovate America’s transit infrastructure and plan for the future and are from the Federal Transit Administration’s 2011 Alternatives Analysis, Bus Livability, and State of Good Repair programs.
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111017/METRO05/110170398/LaHood–Michigan-to-receive-$46.7M-for-16-projects#ixzz1b3dYDwb0
MASSTrans’ Front Line Training was held over the past weekend (September 9-11) and was by all accounts very well received. There were 274 registered for the event (which is an all time high). Thanks to all who attended and volunteered. Special thanks to Glenn Cardinali of Bay Metro Transit who coordinated all local transportation.
Special thanks to the session presenters, who included: Susan Miller of Benzie Transportation Authority, Katrina Maxwell of LETS, Mike Laidlaw of QStraint, Ken Reed of Ohio Transportation Risk Pool, Chris Burke of MOTA and Mecosta ISD, Megan Lambourne, Ken Jimkoski of Huron County Transit, Mike Stoner and Eric Sprague of Bay Metro Transit, Jill Drury of Charlevoix County Transit, Bill Purvis and T.J. Taylor of Twin Cities Transit, Deb Liscomb of Isabella County Transportation, and Andy Brush, Marcele Edington, and Sharon Edgar of MDOT.
Also a thank you goes out to all the vendors who attended, including Holland Bus, PCTrans, Crystal Computing, Hoekstra Transportation, QStraint, and Mobility Transportation Services.
A special thank you to Dave Brown of Mobility Transportation Services, who donated the grand prize of a 46″ Flat Screen TV. The winner of the TV was Alma Dial-A-Ride.
Finally, a very special thank you goes to Vance Edwards of Cadillac/Wexford Transit for his tireless work in putting together the training conference. Thank you Vance!
Troy Lowe, who finished 4th in last year’s Michigan Small Bus Roadeo, was a last minute substitution at the National CTAA Bus Roadeo in Indianapolis. He placed 5th overall in the event! Congratulations Troy!
We invite you to check back in with us on a monthly basis to read our newsletter and to also stay up to date on all the exciting things happening at MASSTrans.
