The heads of two major chambers of commerce voiced support this week for a proposed rapid transit plan that would link Detroit with Macomb and Oakland counties.
“We believe regional transportation to be a key to the economic vitality of the region,” said Grace Shore, chief executive officer of the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce.
Wayne Oehmke, president of the Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, shared Shore’s vision.
“A first-class county deserves a first-class transportation system, and our chamber sees this plan as an important step in the process,” Oehmke said.
John Hertel, executive director of the Regional Transit Coordinating Council, who will take on a new job as SMART general manager next week, has proposed a $10.5 billion, 25-year mass transit system for the metropolitan Detroit area. The first step is a pilot program that would create a light rail system on Woodward Avenue from the Detroit River to the New Center area.
Longer term, the plan calls for increased bus service in Macomb County with high-speed buses — essentially small transit trains on tires — along Gratiot and Hall Road (M-59).
The bus service would run along Gratiot Avenue from Detroit to Hall Road; west to Pontiac; and south along Woodward to Detroit, forming what’s been dubbed a “Golden Triangle” transit plan. The proposed route would cover 67 miles.
“Golden Triangle is a practical, functional, fiscally responsible approach to regional mass transit,” said Paul Gieleghem, chairman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners. “It recognizes Macomb as a vital part of the region, and ensures Macomb’s residents are served by a regional system.”
The transit plan led to proposed legislation in the state House to create a regional transit authority. If ultimately approved by the House and Senate, the authority would have to seek some form of tax to fund the authority.
