May 14, 2010 -- The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued the final environmental clearance for the Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal in Wayne County. With the release of the Record of Decision (ROD), the project is allowed to move forward in the next phases of design, right of way acquisition and construction as funding becomes available. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been working with federal, state and local agencies since 1993 with the goal of improving rail freight transportation opportunities and efficiencies at a consolidated terminal in Wayne County. The consolidated terminal will be located between Wyoming and Livernois avenues south of I-94.
"The Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal is a significant accomplishment that represents the largest public/private venture in Michigan history," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "The railroads have agreed to pay a large share of the costs. This project will improve the flow of goods and make Michigan, especially southeast Michigan, more competitive for economic growth and new jobs."
"MDOT remains committed to working with the community to deliver a project that creates jobs, provides job training and provides infrastructure improvements that will benefit the residents of this area," said project manager Terry Stepanski. "This project has always been about ensuring the region's economic competitiveness while working hard to ensure that the needs of local communities were addressed."
The ROD is the last approval step under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The Preferred Alternative was developed after reviewing comments received from citizens, municipalities, businesses and the railroads involved. The alternative was first presented for public review in 2008 and formally announced last December with the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The approved alternative is a modification of Alternative 4 that had been previously analyzed in the Draft Environmental Statement (DEIS).
The alternative calls for CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS) intermodal rail operations to expand at the Livernois-Junction Yard and for NS's Triple Crown operation to move to the yard. Canadian National has elected not to shift its Moterm Terminal operation located near the state fairgrounds to the Livernois-Junction Yard, nor will it expand the Moterm Terminal as part of the DIFT. The Canadian Pacific "Expressway" intermodal operation analyzed in the DEIS was discontinued in June 2004 and is no longer part of the project.
The consolidated terminal is planned to provide the necessary infrastructure to support current and future distribution needs of auto manufacturing, the state's largest industry, and other southeast Michigan businesses, while supporting the needs of residential neighborhoods and businesses in the area. It is estimated that the project will create an average of 300 construction jobs over a 10-year period with over 600 construction jobs during the peak construction year. It also is estimated that the project will create almost 2,400 permanent jobs in the Detroit area and an additional 2,100 jobs throughout Michigan. No public/private partnership legislation is needed to make the project happen.
The ROD is available for viewing on the Web at: www.michigan.gov/mdotstudies and at the following locations:
- Ferndale Public Library, 222 E. Nine Mile, Ferndale
- Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave., Dearborn
- Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Ave., Detroit
- Bowen Branch of the Detroit Public Library, 3648 W. Vernor, Detroit
- MDOT Detroit Transportation Service Center, 1400 Howard St., Detroit
- MDOT Oakland Transportation Service Center, 800 Vanguard Dr., Pontiac
- MDOT Taylor Transportation Service Center, 6510 Telegraph Rd., Taylor
- MDOT Region Office, 18101 W. Nine Mile Rd., Southfield
- MDOT Bureau of Transportation Planning, 425 Ottawa St., Lansing
MDOT says: Construction work zones need your undivided attention
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