State senators voted 24-14 Tuesday afternoon to create a Regional Transportation Authority for Southeast Michigan, something that has been debated for decades.
"This is a huge win for Detroit and the region," Sen. Virgil Smith says in a Facebook post A colleague, Sen. Berrt Johnson, tweeted: "It's our time!" Both men are Detroit Democrats.
In the Free Press, Kathleen Gray has a sobering reality check:
Even after 23 previous legislative tries to create the authority, the deal still is not sealed. The matter still has to go through the state House of Representative, where its future is not certain. . . .
The authority would coordinate the city and suburban bus service provided by the Detroit Department of Transportation and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transit (or SMART). It also would spearhead the creation of a light rail line and bus rapid transit system.
The federal Department of Transportation said it’s ready to inject millions into mass transit in metro Detroit, including $25 million to a light rail line from downtown Detroit to the New Center area, if the state and region can craft a regional cooperative effort that would improve public transportation.
If the region can’t come up with a plan, the federal money is off the table, USDOT secretary Ray LaHood has told regional and state leaders.
