[msb-alumni] CATA board scraps plans for BRT and Cata Head Dragoo Announces Retirement
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2017 18:05:51 -0400
BlankGreat news. Too bad they didn't kill it outright instead of just
suspending it.
Steve
CATA board scraps plans for BRT Beth LeBlanc , Lansing State Journal LANSING -
Capital Area Transportation Authority officials scrapped plans Wednesday
for a $133 million bus transportation project along Michigan and Grand River
avenues. The agency's board of directors approved a motion to suspend the
Bus Rapid Transit project until such time as federal funding is available.
Shortly after announcing her retirement , CATA Chief Executive Officer Sandy
Draggoo told board members a lack of federal funding and the cost of an ongoing
environmental assessment were key factors in the project's suspension.
The controversial project, which CATA officials have said would have
transformed
the region's most important corridor, would have used elements of light
rail to create a mass transit system that CATA said would be faster and more
reliable than traditional bus service. It would have replaced Route 1, the
region's busiest bus route, which serves more than 1.6 million riders annually
and runs from the state Capitol along Michigan Avenue to Grand River Avenue,
past the Michigan State University campus before ending at Meridian Mall.
"Donald Trump did us a favor" in cutting some of the funding needed for the
project,
said board chairwoman Donna Rose. "There are better things ahead for
transportation than BRTs. Draggoo recommended to the board last week that it
suspend
the project indefinitely. Related: CATA CEO Sandy Draggoo to retire CATA wants
to kill Bus Rapid Transit plans CATA may fire auditors after $1.2M tax error
Up to $100 million of expected funding for CATA's BRT was cut from the
president's proposed budget, which completely eliminated federal funding for
dozens
of similar projects across the country. While Congress has not indicated how
much of the president's budget it plans to adopt, White House support is
critical
for such projects, which are funded through the Federal Transit Administration.
CATA officials also recently learned they would need to spend more than
$700,000 on more traffic studies before the FTA would advance the project from
the environmental assessment phase into one that begins finalizing project
design. That money would have come on top of the $5.7 million in federal and
state grant money the organization already has spent on the project, which
was first formally proposed in 2010. Bradley Funkhouser, the agency's Deputy
CEO, said he does not consider work performed so far a wasted effort. An
additional
$4.5 million in existing grants will still be used, he said, but possibly for
other projects such as updating shelters along bus routes or developing an app
to give real-time updates on bus locations.
*****
CATA CEO Sandy Draggoo to retire Beth LeBlanc , Lansing State Journal LANSING -
Capital Area Transportation'Authority'CEO Sandy Draggoo told the agency's
board this afternoon that she plans to'retire'early next year. Draggoo's
announcement comes less than a week after the agency announced it would ask its
board today to abandon'efforts to spend $133 million on a proposed Bus Rapid
Transit line'that the organization had said would transform the region's most
important corridor. The controversial project would have used elements of light
rail'to create a mass transit system that CATA said would be'faster and
more reliable than traditional bus service. It would have'replaced Route 1, the
region's'busiest bus route,'which serves more than 1.6 million riders annually
and'runs from the state Capitol along Michigan Avenue to Grand River
Avenue,'past the Michigan State University campus before ending at Meridian
Mall.
"I am honored to have been part of this organization," Draggoo told the board.
"...Thank you again for the honor of serving each and every one of you.
Draggoo said'her February exit will allow for time to ensure a smooth
transition. She has been with the agency for 32 years. The agency has faced
criticism
in recent weeks. CATA announced last month that, in'2016, the organization'paid
$1.2 million in interest and penalties to the state and federal government
for late payroll taxes between 2014 and 2016. And the State Journal reported
earlier this month that rising overtime costs played a role in a $1.8 million
increase in the transit authority's expenses last year. 'Five bus drivers for
CATA made more than $100,000 in 2016, and eight other CATA drivers made between
$90,000 and $100,000.
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