U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today was joined by Senator Carl Levin, Mayor George Heartwell and state and local officials to dedicate the newly renovated and expanded Wealthy Street Operations Center, a state-of-the-art transit facility that reflects the Obama Administration's "Blueprint for an America Built to Last."
"The President laid out a blueprint for an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers and a renewal of American values," said Secretary LaHood. "All across America, there is work to be done on projects like this. Now is the time to connect people who need work with the work we need to do to improve our nation's transit centers, highways, railways, airports and ports."
Secretary LaHood's visit follows President Obama's State of the Union address, in which he called for using funds saved from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay down the debt and to support a transportation bill that would clear the way for nation building here in the United States.
The renovated Wealthy Street Transit Operations Center was built by the Interurban Transit Partnership, known as The Rapid. The Rapid expanded and upgraded an outdated facility in order to store and service a fleet of buses that has nearly doubled over the last 15 years, along with the demand for service. Since 1998, the number of trips taken by those who depend on The Rapid to get to work, school, medical services and shopping has more than doubled, from 4.2 million 10.8 million.
"This project is creating American jobs, using American-made materials and incorporating innovative renewable energy resources," said Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff, who attended the operations center ground-breaking two years ago. "It ensures that Rapid riders will continue to have safe and reliable bus transportation for years to come."
The project, which The Rapid said sustained 35 construction-related jobs during building, doubled the facility's size, provides storage for nearly 180 buses, additional maintenance bays, additional office and administrative space, increased space for drivers and dispatchers, and secured parking for employees. The Rapid, which currently has a fleet of 117 fixed-route buses, had outgrown its previous 1970s-era facility, which was built to accommodate a maximum of only 100 buses.
The $32.4 million renovation and expansion of the Wealthy Street Operations Center was funded with $10.6 million from the Recovery Act and an additional $17.4 million in federal transit funds. The project is anticipated to be LEED-certified at the Silver level.
http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2012/fta0512.html
