Construction crews took to Woodward Avenue (M-1) in Detroit to start construction activities on the city's new 3.3-mile modern streetcar line. M-1 RAIL is the first public streetcar line in the United States being supported by a public-private partnership comprised of foundations, corporations, and local, county, state and federal governments.
As crews began work, Roger Penske, M-1 RAIL Chairman of the Board, and Matt Cullen, M-1 RAIL President and CEO, visited the construction site with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan for a briefing on the first day of construction activities.
"The road to bring a modern streetcar line to Detroit began more than seven years ago and today we've reached a major milestone," said Penske. "The people who live and work in this city have tenacious spirits. It's that passion and love for this place that gets projects like this moving. We are now on the path to revolutionize the way we move throughout the Woodward corridor and beyond," he said.
"Today we start building the foundation for the future of transportation in Detroit and in our region," said Cullen. He also spoke about strategies the M-1 RAIL team developed with its construction manager to minimize disruption to businesses, residents and visitors along the construction corridor.
Upon completion in late 2016, the M-1 RAIL Streetcar will travel north and south along Woodward Avenue for 3.3 miles between Larned Street and W. Grand Blvd. The streetcar will service 20 stations (16 curbside and 4 median running) at 12 locations. The modern streetcar will serve Detroit's largest job centers and most visited destinations including the city's business, educational, medical, cultural and entertainment hubs. It will ignite new economic development and job creation and will provide a foundation for improved and expanded public transit throughout the region. Projections indicate the streetcar will promote 10,000 new housing units and more than $3 billion in economic development along the M-1 RAIL route and neighboring side streets over the next decade.
