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LANSING - The state has awarded the first round of funding of $65 million for infrastructure projects to expand public transportation throughout the state.
Eighteen projects will receive grants in communities ranging from Delta County in the Upper Peninsula to Wayne County.
Among the other recipients are Berrien and Newaygo counties and transit authorities in Montmorency, Alpena, Roscommon and Ionia counties.
The money comes as part of the Infrastructure Projects Authority Fund, which has been working to support communities to create new or expanding existing public transit. The funding is administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office said in a press release that it hopes the grants will create jobs and improve access to essential services for residents.
"As part of my plan to fix the damn roads, we're expanding and improving public transit with new funding and a new role in state government," Whitmer said in the press release.
According to Michigan Public Transit Association executive director John Dulmes, the program will give out $65 million annually for five years to complete the projects.
The grants announced earlier this month are the first round of projects.
"It's going to be an expansion of services in some areas. In other areas they're going to invest in facilities, and in other areas they're going to be doing studies about what kind of transit service might be able to be transformational," said Dulmes.
However, Dulmes said he believes the current round of funding will not lead to a significant change in the state's public transportation network.
"Unfortunately, the $65 million per year is a drop in the bucket of what it would really take to get vastly improved transit service," said Dulmes.
"This fund is likely to be more incremental and investing in things around the margins. That will definitely help make a difference, but won't substantially change what transit looks like in Michigan," he said.
One recipient is the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, also known as TheRide. In a press release, the authority said its $6.6 million would go towards a rapid bus transit study along the Huron Street to Jackson Street corridor.
"This funding is a significant step toward realizing our long-term regional transit goals and will help us build a more connected, accessible and efficient transportation system for the communities we serve," CEO Matt Carpenter of TheRide said in the press release.
The two largest grants go to the Detroit Transportation Corp. receiving $10 million to refurbish and replace cars on the People Mover and the Mass Transit Authority in Genesee County receiving $9.98 million for the expansion of transit in the Flint area.