Oakland County

Residents invited to share input on mass transit along Woodward

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) is hosting a series of public forums this month to discuss its ongoing alternative analysis study of mass transit options along the 27-mile Woodward Avenue corridor, from Detroit to Pontiac.

The study is being paid for by a two-year, $2 million grant from the Federal Transportation Administration and coordinated by SEMCOG with a steering committee of community representatives. Its purpose is to create rapid transit improvements that both complement and enhance transportation services throughout metro Detroit.

The SEMCOG steering committee consists of 13 member cities and organizations: Detroit, Highland Park, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Pontiac, the Michigan Suburbs Alliance and the Woodward Avenue Action Association.

Each public meeting hosted by SEMCOG will feature an open house and a presentation that will begin 30 minutes after the scheduled start time. A meeting for Birmingham and Royal Oak residents will be held Dec. 6 from 5-7 p.m. at the Baldwin Public Library, 300 W. Merrill St., in Birmingham; followed by a meeting for Detroit and Highland Park residents Dec. 11 from 4-6 p.m. at the Detroit Palmer Park Police Station, 12th Precinct, 1441 W. Seven Mile Road, in Detroit; a meeting for Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge residents Dec. 12 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ferndale Public Library, 222 E. Nine Mile Road, in Ferndale; and a meeting for Pontiac residents Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bowen Senior Citizens Center, 52 Bagley St., in Pontiac.

Previous meetings were also held for Berkley and Huntington Woods residents Dec. 3, and Detroit business leaders and employees, as well as Detroit and Highland Park residents, Dec. 4.

For more information, visit www.woodwardanalysis.com or contact Carmine Palombo, director of transportation planning for SEMCOG, at palombo@semcog.org.

In addition, keep checking out www.candgnews.com for an article on the latest updates with the SEMCOG alternative analysis study and local officials’ reaction to the state Senate approving the creation of a regional transit authority in southeast Michigan.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.