Detroit transport authority signed into law
Written by Douglas John BowenMichigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has signed into law creation of a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) for Detroit.
The legislation authorizes the establishment of a regional authority to coordinate public transportation in southeast Michigan. The state legislature recently approved a package of bills creating the body and working out a number of issues related to funding, zoning, and cooperation between different local transit agencies.
Federal officials, including Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, have urged the creation of such an entity, noting that the potential for federal funding of public transit projects in the Motor City had been – and would continue to be – severely limited minus such oversight.
LaHood has said that a regional authority was a must for developers of Detroit’s Woodward Avenue light rail line to qualify for $25 million in federal funding.
