Gilbert to widen 375 off-ramp

[animatedmartian]

Gilbert is shelling out $1.25 million dollars to add three lanes to the off-ramp between 375 and Lafayette Street. Work is expected to begin this week and finish by December.

MDOT is still studying whether to make 375 an at-grade boulevard or rebuild it as is, but currently there is no funding to do either.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...p-to-lafayette

[Gannon]

The trouble with having private individuals fund publicly-used roadways is the relative myopia...Gilbert will spend to get more people to the casino, but NOT help to make the next exit more safe for his employees to get to work.

That whole area is one mis-step away from a horrible multi-car pileup...EVERY MORNING! Mixing the brash and relatively inexperienced young Quickens with the older conservative liability-conscious BCBS folks, the last two exits before I-375 ends are blocked and stopped well into the freeway...made worse by those who dash in at the last minute. [[I believe those folks should be shot on sight, btw)

Add the GM employees who actually GUN their gas pedals through this whole fiasco, only to end up in the ever-increasing que for that left turn into the Beaubien Street parking structures for the RenCen...that whole area needs re-working...and NOT by the idiotic dreams of bringing it back to street-level and making a pedestrian boulevard out of it all.


Oh, what a mensch our 'savior' is...bringing the cash only WHEN it suits him, rather than being a leader and gathering what is necessary to actually get the job done right.

Cheers, anyways...where's my espresso?!

[Willi]

Privatized infrastructure through public-private partnerships [[“PPPs” or “P3s”).

A number of U.S. states have moved ahead with P3s and privatization.
“When private businesses are taking the risks
and putting their profits on the line,
funding is more likely to get allocated
to high-return projects and completed
in the most efficient manner.”

Private infrastructure is not a new or untried idea.
Urban transit services in America used to be virtually all private.
Before the 20th century, private turnpike companies built thousands of miles of toll roads.

http://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/me...0Testimony.pdf

[EastsideAl]

Private infrastructure is not a new or untried idea.
Urban transit services in America used to be virtually all private.
Before the 20th century, private turnpike companies built thousands of miles of toll roads.

And there was a damn good reason why they pretty much all ended up in public hands eventually. I have no idea why everyone is in such a hurry to relive the era of the robber barons and transportation monopolists, and to relearn the lessons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries all over again.

[DetroitPlanner]

And there was a damn good reason why they pretty much all ended up in public hands eventually. I have no idea why everyone is in such a hurry to relive the era of the robber barons and transportation monopolists, and to relearn the lessons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries all over again.

Hey we only have X amount to spend on transportation in the public sector. Why should we spend it on things that benefit the private sector? The whole M-1 project would have been dead if it wasn't for your robber barons. They see an opportunity and are willing to make the investment [[unlike the feds and state).

[Hermod]

And there was a damn good reason why they pretty much all ended up in public hands eventually. I have no idea why everyone is in such a hurry to relive the era of the robber barons and transportation monopolists, and to relearn the lessons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries all over again.

Ummm, they ended up in public hands because they were no longer profitable. The public then had to decide whether to do without the service or to buy up the remnants and continue the enterprise with a public subsidy. In some cases, the public hastened the death of private enterprise [[like the DUR). The mayor's, council, and the newspapers continually railed against the service provided by the DUR and accused the DUR of making obscene profits off the poor public. By threatening the DUR of not having their charter renewed, the city bought out the streetcar system at a rock bottom price. Guess what? The city immediately raised the fare prices and had to float a bond issue for track improvement [[and eventually had to abandon the system).

[Hypestyles]

Will a toll booth be added?

[Willi]

Would you buy a Municipal Bond now, to fund construction work inside of Detroit ?
The money to build stuff often comes from the private sector;
and the financial mechanism that allows that to happen evolves over time.

[Gistok]

Mixing the brash and relatively inexperienced young Quickens ..... with the older conservative liability-conscious BCBS folks...... add the GM employees who actually GUN their gas pedals through this whole fiasco.....

Gee Gannon.... thanks for the warning.... now I've got more folks to worry about besides the drunken tailgaters at the Lions games... druggies at the Fillmore rock/music shows... the senile and semi-dimentia folks who attend Opera and DSO events... and the red neck off-roaders and their pick-ups who go to the Hoedown!!

[iheartthed]

Would you buy a Municipal Bond now, to fund construction work inside of Detroit ?
The money to build stuff often comes from the private sector;
and the financial mechanism that allows that to happen evolves over time.

MDOT is a state agency.

[animatedmartian]

Will a toll booth be added?

Only for those going anywhere else other than Greektown Casino.

[renf]

How about giving some consideration to reestablishing the former GTW commuter rail
service from the Ren Center to Pontiac? The Dequindre cut is great for those of us who
ride bicycles but commuter rail from downtown Detroit to Pontiac was a successful
endeavor for about 40 years.

[Willi]

MDOT is most definitely involved with Municipal Bonds, and private wealthy folk buy them.
In effect those items are privately financed, via the buying power of many investors.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9623_10736_66039---,00.html

https://www.moodys.com/research/Mood...ion--PR_306060

[Gistok]

MDOT is most definitely involved with Municipal Bonds, and private wealthy folk buy them.
In effect those items are privately financed, via the buying power of many investors.

Well I'm not sure what you're trying to imply.... Municipal bonds are purchased by individuals, mutual and money market funds, property and casualty insurance companies, and commercial banks.

So being wealthy is not a prerequisite...

[Hermod]

Well I'm not sure what you're trying to imply.... Municipal bonds are purchased by individuals, mutual and money market funds, property and casualty insurance companies, and commercial banks.

So being wealthy is not a prerequisite...

They appeal to the wealthy because the interest paid on them is tax free.

[mikeg19]

This guy really wants you to come to Greektown! Not too often you see a private individual shelling out cash to improve public roads. But obviously, there is a greater benefit to him having easier access to the Casino. Now if he could only convinve Wayne County to move the jail.........

[Scottathew]

In other news, local businessman spends over a million dollars of his own money to improve infrastructure to business district, DYes members complain and try to make up toll-booth myths.

[Detroitnerd]

Ummm, they ended up in public hands because they were no longer profitable.

Oh, come now, Hermod. You know better than to spin it with that gross oversimplification.

The mayor's, council, and the newspapers continually railed against the service provided by the DUR and accused the DUR of making obscene profits off the poor public.

And to downplay this. The truth is that the private "traction trusts" were reined in because they were exploiting their franchise at the expense of the public. There are darn good reasons the public sector stepped in to do things that the private sector did in the most predatory way possible.

If anybody is interested in learning more about the great age of the Robber Barons, I recommend Matthew Johnson's excellent book "The Robber Barons." Johnson worked for a long time as a trader on Wall Street, so he knew what he was talking about.

[Hermod]

Oh, come now, Hermod. You know better than to spin it with that gross oversimplification.



And to downplay this. The truth is that the private "traction trusts" were reined in because they were exploiting their franchise at the expense of the public. There are darn good reasons the public sector stepped in to do things that the private sector did in the most predatory way possible.

If anybody is interested in learning more about the great age of the Robber Barons, I recommend Matthew Johnson's excellent book "The Robber Barons." Johnson worked for a long time as a trader on Wall Street, so he knew what he was talking about.

DUR was forbidden by the city to increase fares to make up for the big increase in wages during the post WWI time frame. Their charters were expiring in many cities along their lines with the cities eager to "milk the cow" during charter renewal. The city of Detroit was really putting the screws to them. After they sold out to Detroit [[for bottom dollar), the city immediately raised fares. FACT. Do you dispute that?

All of those eeeeeevullll transit trusts that you claim were exploiting the public went broke or got out of the transit business. The only successful transit company was Scioto Valley in Ohio, which just transitioned from transit to selling electricity.

You really need to read Schramm, Henning, and Dwormann's history of the DSR [[2 volumes). Their other books on the SE Michigan interurbans are also worth reading. Some more technical and financial analysis of transit can be found in Hilton and Due, "The Electric Interurban in America".

[Honky Tonk]

My guess Saint Dan had a number of issues pending regarding him closing off the top of the Lafayette exit ramp with orange cones and what not, causing a traffic back-up on 375, resulting in multiple accidents and injuries. I wonder what the final construction tab will be on expanding that ramp? $1.2 mil seems a bit shy.

[iheartthed]

MDOT is most definitely involved with Municipal Bonds, and private wealthy folk buy them.
In effect those items are privately financed, via the buying power of many investors.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9623_10736_66039---,00.html

https://www.moodys.com/research/Mood...ion--PR_306060

But it is not a debt security issued by the city of Detroit, in case you were implying that a Detroit bankruptcy should make investors question buying bonds for road improvements in Detroit. The munis for that would be issued by the state of Michigan, not the city of Detroit.

[Willi]

iheartthed - What you wrote above in post #21 is EXACTLY what The City of Detroit
is doing in regard to the entire DWSD fiasco.
The Detroit City Junk bonds are transformed into State Muni Bonds, in a money laundering scheme.

If a few financial guru's like Gilbert, Buffet, etc. and a few banks; agreed to buy the Bonds,
a roadway construction project for the city ""could"" be accomplished via State Bonds.

[ghettopalmetto]

Eh, sure, why not? I mean, Dan Gilbert did a traffic study on the impact the widened off-ramp will have on the local street grid, right? Why not encourage more people to drive everywhere for everything? Hell, maybe we'll let Dan Gilbert build an expressway directly to the front door of Greektown Casino. Perhaps we can demolish half of Greektown for him to make sure that there's plenty of easy parking. I mean, geez: a whole 1600 cars at peak hour! We *must* bend over backward to design every road and parking lot for the Saturday before Christmas!

Did anyone notice how MDOT's spokesman stated, "Obviously, we have a funding issue in the state of Michigan when it comes to transportation." But aren't these the same clowns who want to spend over $1 billion to widen I-94?

Just more outdated cookbook engineering without any regard for context.

[DetroitPlanner]

Eh, sure, why not? I mean, Dan Gilbert did a traffic study on the impact the widened off-ramp will have on the local street grid, right? Why not encourage more people to drive everywhere for everything? Hell, maybe we'll let Dan Gilbert build an expressway directly to the front door of Greektown Casino. Perhaps we can demolish half of Greektown for him to make sure that there's plenty of easy parking. I mean, geez: a whole 1600 cars at peak hour! We *must* bend over backward to design every road and parking lot for the Saturday before Christmas!

Did anyone notice how MDOT's spokesman stated, "Obviously, we have a funding issue in the state of Michigan when it comes to transportation." But aren't these the same clowns who want to spend over $1 billion to widen I-94?

Just more outdated cookbook engineering without any regard for context.

The issue with I-94 is that it needs to be reconstructed. It is 70 years old for gosh sakes. When this happens MDOT would be sued if it was rebuilt as-is as it is also a 70 year old design. How many left exits and entrances are there? Do you realize how unsafe those are? What does that do to how the roadway operates? How about the bridges? Pre National Highway System Bridges are too low meaning that trucks have to detour the route often times causing congestion and delay on other routes.

[Gannon]

Only one left-hand exit and entrance left on I-94 in town, after they fixed Southfield...and that is at the Lodge. I can only remember Gratiot on the far east side, as well.

They can update it without taking out neighborhoods...it never is going to be a Jefferies 12-lane spread.

The left-hand exit off I-375 to Madison is another huge danger in the mornings...so if they really want to make right...