Transportation

Ann Arbor looks for developers for underground garage

By Newsroom

●

June 10, 2009

Ann Arborites know what's going below the surface lot on Fifth Avenue next to the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Libraries – 677 parking spots. But what will go above it?That's a question that's starting to get asked around City Hall. Ann Arbor City Councilwoman Sandi Smith is preparing a motion to request qualifications for potential developers for the site, in time for the next City Council meeting. Think of it as a first step toward building something on top of the underground parking deck."The deck is generating a lot of interest in the community about what's going on top of it," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.Pollay says the perimeter of the large site could reach as high as 4-6 stories. The interior of the block could go as high as 18 stories and facilitate office, residential or hotel space or even a combination of those. "We're going to be ready to accommodate whatever might go there," Pollay says.The $38 million project is expected to break ground this fall. It will build three levels of parking underneath what is now a surface parking lot and Fifth Avenue. Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and Sandi Smith, city councilwoman for Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Latest in Transportation

Mag-Lev train concept: Mass transit solution or idea that won’t get off the ground?

By Newsroom

●

Entrepreneurship

●

June 3, 2009

The (far off?) future of mass transit is being dreamed up in, of all places, Whitmore Lake.Excerpt:Picture a rail service in southeastern Michigan that runs along a track suspended above the freeway, traveling at speeds up to 200 mph.Imagine getting from Ann Arbor to Detroit in 10 minutes - and taking your car with you on the rail.And envision that service with on-demand cross-country travel that has personal suites with kitchens, as well as the ability to rent onboard space for commercial offices and private parties. Such a service also could have the ability to dispatch medical equipment and full teams to the scene of a car accident by rail.Those are the visions of a Whitmore Lake company pushing a proposal to build a rail system using magnetic levitation - or maglev. The technology would be faster, more environmentally friendly and cheaper than most other forms of transportation available in the U.S. today.Read the rest of the story here.

Construction on Platt Road Greenway set to begin in July

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

June 3, 2009

Work is gearing up to begin on the first phase of Pittsfield Township's Platt Road Greenway this summer now that the behind-the-scenes work is finished.The township has acquired the needed land, finished the engineering work and secured federal funding for the $350,000 project. It plans to start work in July and finish by October."We're starting to make plans for the second phase of the pathway," says Paul Montagno, senior planner for Pittsfield Township. The first phase call for building a 10-foot-wide asphalt trail would run along the east side of Platt Road between Ellsworth Road and Textile Road. It would be geared toward non-motorized traffic, such as pedestrians and bicyclists. The second phase calls for following Platt from Textile past Michigan Avenue to Merritt Road, heading east on Merritt over U.S. 23 before connecting to Rolling Hills Water Park. However, that section of the path is still a few years away.Source: Paul Montagno, senior planner for Pittsfield TownshipWriter: Jon Zemke

Work begins again on East Delhi Bridge as waters recede

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

June 3, 2009

Work is beginning again on the East Delhi Bridge now that the Huron River has given the Washtenaw County Road Commission its blessing. Work had been suspended because the river had risen too high, just beneath where the bridge should be in Scio Township. That water receded last week, allowing crews to get back at repairing the historic bridge. "I am hoping it gets done this summer," says Kelly Jones, a bridge engineer for the Washtenaw County Road Commission.The historic bridge has been slated for replacement, but the county found resources to restore it. The bridge (think of the metal bridges from toy train sets) has been a local icon for 90-120 years, depending on the historical reference. The 109-foot-long bridge is set to be lifted back into its original space and reopened.Source: Kelly Jones, a bridge engineer for the Washtenaw County Road CommissionWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti expand mass transit options

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

May 27, 2009

Options for getting around without a car (or at least fewer cars) in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are moving forward. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority is creating plans to build a Park & Ride lot at the intersection of Plymouth Road and U.S. 23. The new 245-space lot would provide more space for commuters to ditch their single-occupant automobiles for options like car or van pooling. AATA is also working on providing bus service to the lot.The Ypsilanti City Council also sided with the city’s Planning Commission and Depot Town Downtown Development Authority to put Ypsilanti’s proposed train station on the west side of the tracks. The station would be Ypsilanti’s stop on the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter train line, set to begin operation late next year. The station is set for Depot Town because that is the closest city center to the rail line. The west side of the tracks is directly behind Depot Town’s historic commercial strip and provides easy access to a large parking lot. The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse is also lobbying to turn the historic structure into the actual station.Source: April McGrath, assistant city manager for Ypsilanti and the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Streetcars, BRT and commuter rail stations in Ann Arbor?

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

May 13, 2009

Ann Arbor is about to lay some serious tracks (pun intended) in its effort tom improve mass transit.The City Council will consider approving funds for the Ann Arbor Connector Feasibility Study - a study that would call for creating a crescent moon-shaped line for either streetcars or bus rapid transit system. It's also looking at announcing plans for a multi-modal mass transit station in the Wheeler Park parking lot."There are a variety of transportation needs that have made themselves known to us," says Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the city of Ann Arbor. The crescent-shaped mass transit line would connect the Plymouth Road exit for U.S. 23 to downtown. It would also travel further south along South State Street to Briarwood Mall. The options for enhancing this service include improving bus service, creating a bus rapid transit system or putting in streetcars.City officials are also looking at possibly building a transit center near the University of Michigan Hospital campus that would service this transit line, the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line, bus service, pedestrian and bicyclists. This multi-million dollar project is still in its infancy. City officials are planning to build it at the Wheeler Park parking lot next to the Huron River, Border to Border Trail, Plymouth Road and U-M Hospital. Source: Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor takes silver award as bicycle friendly community

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

May 13, 2009

The League of American Bicyclists stuck another feather in Ann Arbor's cap, naming it a silver-level 2009 Bicycle Friendly Communities. Tree Town garnered the award because of its consistent work ethic of improving conditions for bicyclists and investing in associated programs and facilities. This year featured an increase in the number of communities with new bike plans, but Ann Arbor was a ahead of the learning curve thanks to decades of work on behalf of bicyclists."There are so many reasons to use a bicycle as a primary mode of transportation," says Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the City of Ann Arbor. He ticked off a long list of those reasons, including a healthy lifestyle, pollution free transportation and availability of ample parking.What made Ann Arbor's application (prepared by interns at the city) stand out was its consistent addition of bike lanes, informational website, encouragement of bicycling through programs like getDowntown and how many people actually use a bicycle in Ann Arbor. Ten of 20 intersections counted in the city's bike data collection program have more than 300 cyclists over a 12 hour period. More than 7,500 cyclists have been counted in the city during the past three years, a steady increase over previous years. Source: Eli Cooper, transportation manager for the City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti airline flies cargo to Afghanistan

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

May 13, 2009

Ypsilanti to Afghanistan? You better believe those flights are taking place.Excerpt:Ypsilanti -- Count Afghanistan as the newest international destination served directly by air from Metro Detroit. National Air Cargo, a subsidiary of Ypsilanti-based National Airlines, has started flying supplies for the U.S. military directly from Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township to Bagram Air Base, the center of American operations in Afghanistan. The base is roughly 40 miles north of the capital of Kabul. "This is the fastest possible route from the United States to Afghanistan and no one else in the air cargo industry is currently providing such a service," Robert Schalger, a regional manager for National, said in a statement announcing the new service. Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor mixes land use, transit with new plan

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

May 6, 2009

Transportation plans for cities (if they even have one) deal with the nuts and bolts of getting people from Point A to Point B and back again. Most of that plan focuses on how to achieve those goals with automobiles, and sometimes buses. Not in Ann Arbor.Tree Town is evolving its thinking of transportation to include not just traditional transportation issues, such as bus routes, but land-use strategies. The idea is that both issues are intricately intertwined in one big circle of city life."We can't merely look at our transportation system without looking at the land use that generates the travel demand," says Eli Cooper, transportation program manager at the city of Ann Arbor.Ann Arbor's transportation plan hasn't been updated in almost 20 years. Back then it was considered progressive because it included consideration for things like pedestrians and bicycles while most other plans focused solely on cars. The new plans incorporates those same ideas, but it also recognizes that having a car in a place like downtown can be more of an impediment to transportation than say walking. That of course wouldn't hold true on the city's edges where cars dominate the landscape, such as the West Stadium Boulevard business corridor. Source: Eli Cooper, transportation program manager at the city of Ann Arbor and the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

Downtown Ann Arbor makes it easier to get around with new signs

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

May 6, 2009

Motorists, bicyclist, pedestrians and even skateboarders will be able to figure how to get to and navigate through downtown Ann Arbor very soon.The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority is waiting for bids to come back for its way-finding initiative. The project would post signs throughout downtown and around the city that would help attract and keep people in the city's center. The $1.6 million project would install downtown signs geared for both pedestrians and motorists, helping guide them through the central business district. These would range from the smaller "You Are Here" map signs for pedestrians to the larger "Go this way" signs for motorists and bicyclists. There would also be larger signs at highway exits and major corridors like Washtenaw and Huron Ave. that point the way to downtown."It's quite an extensive package," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.The bids are expected to come back next week and the DDA plans to make a decision in early June. The signs could be posted as soon as late August, just in time for the University of Michigan's football season.Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke