Imagine a Michigan future in which workers can commute by rail and economic development sprouts around public transit centers. Imagine a Southeast Michigan known as an international hub, an “Airport City,” where tens of thousands of workers are employed in the transportation and cargo industries.
Much spade work is underway on both those big visions — but leadership is needed to get past old territorial fights and assure Michigan can capitalize on potential for federal stimulus funding on transportation projects.
The Airport City or “Aerotropolis” vision is quickly summed up in Detroiter Magazine’s November issue…
“The assets of the aerotropolis are unmistakable,” writes Geoff Young, a project development specialist for Wayne County and former Center for Michigan intern. “Detroit is home to one of the best commercial airports in the world with direct service to more than 20 countries — something only a handful of airports in the United States can claim. Just eight miles to the east of Detroit Metropolitan is Willow Run Airport, one of the busiest on-demand cargo airports in North America, providing time sensitive automotive goods. Detroit’s robust airport capacity is within 20 miles of the busiest border crossing in North America, along with vast developable land surrounding these airports.”
Yet regional tensions over new tax incentives in Wayne County are slowing down aerotropolis legislation as Macomb and Oakland political leaders ask, “What about us?”
Likewise, potential inaction in Lansing threatens Michigan’s ability to receive its full share of federal funding for road and bridge repairs and mass transit expansion. Here’s the plea from the Michigan Municipal League…
Mayors and other community leaders today urged the lame duck Michigan Legislature to jumpstart the state’s stalled economy by increasing funding to repair crumbling roads and bridges and significantly expand mass transit.
By adopting the funding and reform recommendations proposed Nov. 10 by the Michigan Transportation Funding Task Force (TF2), state lawmakers can generate thousands of good jobs and billions in new transit-related commercial and residential development across the state. Lawmakers must approve the task force recommendations before Dec. 31 when the 94th Legislature officially expires, mayors and other local leaders said at a Capitol news conference today.
If the Legislature fails to approve the TF2 funding recommendations, it will put Michigan in the precarious position of leaving thousands of jobs and billions in federal funds on the table… or sending them to other states.
Officials mentioned President-elect Barack Obama’s proposed national economic stimulus initiative that may happen early next year. The program, in part, is expected to send billions of dollars to the states to build roads and bridges, mass transit and other similar infrastructure projects that create thousands of good jobs.
“Michigan has two urgent needs: we need thousands of new jobs and we need a solution for our crumbling infrastructure and urban economies,” said Lansing Mayor Virgil Bernero. “The Transportation Funding Task Force has proposed a good level of investment in transportation that will help jumpstart the state’s economy, fix our roads and bridges and create jobs and investment. Michigan’s unemployment rate is hovering near 10 percent. The Legislature must not wait any longer.”
