A group of high-profile Detroit-area supporters from the business and political communities urged lawmakers last week to advance a bill that would create a regional transit authority.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is one of several supporters of the new authority, which, among other projects, would allow Detroit to build a light-rail line along the city’s main thoroughfare.
That plan, which relies largely on private funding, has stalled as federal officials said they want to see a regional authority created to oversee long-term management.
The authority would coordinate public transportation in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties, “helping to set the groundwork for a system that would help move Michigan’s economy into the future,” Snyder said in a press release touting the effort.
Local officials from the suburbs and Detroit testified in favor of the measure, showing a rare partnership, according to local reports.
The heads of eight major Detroit-area corporations and education officials also showed their support of the initiative in a letter to lawmakers, according to reports.