The Ann Arbor Connector took another step forward as officials working on the project have recommended light rail as the proposed mode of transportation.
The Connector project is a community effort to explore ways to provide faster, more reliable, comfortable and sustainable transportation to an estimated more than 30,000 daily riders between the northeast and south areas of Ann Arbor.
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The light rail system would include a dedicated lane, embedded largely into existing roads, allowing for service that:
• Is 43 percent faster than standard buses.
• Increases passenger capacity by an estimated 52 percent.
• Potential to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
Officials from the city of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority are still in the early planning stages of the project.
While light rail is a current consideration, university planners and local partners will continue to research emerging technologies such as autonomous and connected vehicles.
“The Connector offers a transformative opportunity for the community and campuses by providing better transit access to downtown Ann Arbor, important university destinations and job centers and reducing dependence on adding more parking in the core areas,” says Sue Gott, university planner.
The next phase of study will include the preparation of an environmental-impact statement and preliminary engineering. During this phase, the project partners will further refine the alignment for the dedicated guideway and the associated station locations, and will identify costs and funding opportunities in greater detail.
A proposed operating plan also will be developed.
“In parallel, research activities associated with autonomous and connected vehicle technology will continue,” says Gott. “As a pre-eminent research institution, we want to ensure that state of the art technology is further explored and given full consideration.”
Construction costs for the light rail system are estimated at $500 million-$700 million. Funding could consist of a combination of local, state and federal dollars, U-M funding and private-public partnerships.
Public meetings are scheduled for the community to review the results of the work, the recommended alternative and next steps in the process. Meetings will be March 24 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Main Branch Library, and from 6-8 p.m. at the Traverwood Branch Library.
“The Connector is a long-term project that is still asking for public opinion and support,” says Gott. “Once approved, it is an estimated six-12 years away from operations.”
In February 2011, U-M, the city of Ann Arbor, the AAATA and the DDA collaborated to complete a feasibility study of high-capacity transit to serve the transportation needs of the city and the university.
The feasibility study concluded that high-capacity transit service in the study corridor is feasible, that ridership demand in the corridor is sufficient to warrant high-capacity transit, and technologies including bus rapid transit, streetcars, light rail and an elevated guideway could be used.
