Public Invited to Learn about Transit Options for Woodward Avenue

(SEMCOG Press Release, Nov. 30, 2012)

SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, with the assistance of a steering committee representing local communities, is hosting a series of informational meetings during the first two weeks in December. These events are aimed at giving local residents, business owners, and community, government, and agency leaders opportunities to learn about, and give their input on, possible mass transit options for the Woodward Avenue corridor.

The meetings are part of the Woodward Avenue Alternatives Analysis, a comprehensive study designed to assess regional transportation needs and, most specifically, transit options for the 27-mile Woodward Avenue corridor from the Detroit River to Pontiac. The study area includes the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, and Pontiac.

Meetings will be held in a number of study area cities. Each will include a short presentation and allow attendees time to view project displays and give their input to project planners. Light refreshments will be served. Meetings will take place on:

~ Monday, December 3, 5-7 p.m., Berkley Community Center, 2400 Robina Ave., Berkley, MI, 48072 (for Berkley and Huntington Woods residents).

~ Tuesday December 4, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., SEMCOG, 535 Griswold Street, Suite 300, Detroit, MI 48226 (for the Detroit business community).

~Tuesday, December 4, 4-6 p.m., Detroit Police Department Central District, 7310 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202 (for Detroit and Highland Park residents).

~Thursday, December 6, 5-7 p.m., Baldwin Public Library, 300 West Merrill Street, Birmingham, MI 48009 (for Birmingham and Royal Oak residents).

~Tuesday, December 11, 4-6 p.m., Detroit Palmer Park Police Station, 12th Precinct, 1441 W. Seven Mile Road, Detroit, MI, 48203 (for Detroit and Highland Park residents).

    ~Wednesday, December 12, 6-8 p.m., Ferndale Public Library, 222 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, MI, 48220 (for Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge residents).

~ Saturday, December 15, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Bowen Senior Center, 52 Bagley Street, Pontiac, MI, 48341 (for Pontiac residents).

“The purpose of these meetings is to talk about what transit along Woodward Avenue might look like in the near future, and to get input from the public on possible transit options,” says Carmine Palombo, SEMCOG’s director of transportation programs.

SEMCOG is charged with managing the $2 million federal transportation grant that is funding the Woodward Avenue Alternatives Analysis. Building upon previous planning efforts, such as those for the Woodward Avenue Light Rail Project, the study will create a set of alternatives to be reviewed and screened with the goal of selecting the most feasible rapid-transit alternative. This transit alternative, also known as the “Locally Preferred Alternative,” will move forward for detailed analysis and environmental review. The alternatives will be evaluated using a set of criteria that closely reflects the study’s purpose and need. The alternatives analysis phase will be completed in early 2014.

For more information about the community meetings or the Woodward Avenue Alternatives Analysis, call Calvin Johnson at 313-324-3339, or visit the project Web site at www.woodwardanalysis.com.

SEMCOG is the only organization in Southeast Michigan that brings together all governments to solve regional challenges and enhance the quality of life for the seven-county region’s 4.7 million people.