DETROIT | Ford Michigan Central Station - Corktown Developements

[deja vu]

This Crain's article is kind of another recap of the potential possibility of, and hurdles related to, reviving MCS as a transportation hub and rethinking Michigan Avenue to accommodate autonomous vehicles .

Ford's depot positions Michigan Avenue for transit corridor
Chad Livengood | Crain's Detroit Business
June 24, 2018

Bill Ford Jr.'s grand vision of developing a "transportation invention corridor" along Michigan Avenue and I-94 that stretches from the Michigan Central Station in Corktown to Dearborn, Willow Run and Ann Arbor is going to require some grand thinking and probably a pile of public and private money.

Mobility is about to go from being a buzzword to a real situational challenge that confronts Ford Motor Co.'s bid to deploy autonomous vehicle technology from a train depot built when some Detroiters were still getting around town by horse and buggy.

Ford has already deployed its Chariot rideshare vans along Michigan Avenue to shuttle employees between its Dearborn headquarters and its first Corktown building — The Factory — in what could be the precursor of having self-driving vehicles running along the avenue in the coming years...

[Busy Bee]

What's with all the deleted posts??? !!! Can the mods just let an organic conversation happen forgodsakes!!! ???

[subterranean]

What was deleted?

[Wpg_Guy]

This will be stunning.

[seabee1526]

https://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...ion/994867002/

Ford to spend 740 million in Corktown

[deja vu]

A new light projection show against the backdrop of the building was recently displayed, as a part of the NAIAS

• Video Link

[skyfan]

• Video Link


Ford did an update and tour on progress at MCS today

Ford focuses on masonry work in second phase of construction at Michigan Central Depot

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it is on track on the renovation of the Michigan Central Depot, entering the second of three phases to restore the historic building for part of its $740 million Corktown campus.

The focus of the second phase is restoring eight acres of masonry, an intensive task that will continue until 2021. Crews will also assess and repair the steel structure.

As it begins its second phase, Ford is also working on the master plan for the building, set to be released in a month. Under consideration are a hotel or conference center for the 12th and 13th floors. The focus will be more hospitality, opposed to residential, Bardelli said.

"They will be more public space," he said of the two floors. "It could be a conference center, it could be a hotel. That's what our master plan is going to tell us.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...ot/3771584002/

[The North One]

The development director speaks on progress and the overall plan of MCS including showing where several new buildings will be built, she also talks about the Michigan Avenue mobility corridor and connection with A2.

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[deja vu]

Drive-by update from a few days ago, courtesy of Youtube Channel "Frankai Videos" -

• Video Link

[deja vu]

Separately, and if the below link works for you, Ford Land just posted a video on LinkedIn of interview highlights with the the landscape architect, Mikyoung Kim, in which the vision for the site's mobility platform and open spaces is discussed -

LinkedIn | Ford Land - Michigan Central | Meet our Landscape Designer

[deja vu]

And here's a recent aerial view from a week or two ago - MCS is looking kind of two-faced right now -


Source: Instagram | @fredjproductions

[The North One]

Very exciting, this is such a massive undertaking it cannot be overstated. The most impressive and beautiful structure in the US.

Can't wait to see what the new buildings designed by Snøhetta will look like.

[Busy Bee]

Good stuff

[deja vu]

Just a shot of some of the meticulous tile restoration work that is ongoing inside MCC - it's going to look amazing when finished!




Source: LinkedIn | Ford Land

[The North One]

There was 250 cement trucks on site yesterday. Also a massive crane has arrived and I hear it's the largest in the country. There are 500 workers on site now according to sources.


https://twitter.com/jeffdebruyn/stat...473729/photo/1

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by The North One

There was 250 cement trucks on site yesterday. Also a massive crane has arrived and I hear it's the largest in the country. There are 500 workers on site now according to sources.

To build on that, here's a link to a short Vimeo video about the pour, posted by The Christman Company. One cement truck arriving every 3 minutes, over 2,000 CY of concrete, 2 pump trucks running simultaneously - pretty crazy coordination effort!

https://vimeo.com/546067705

[deja vu]

• Video Link

[Randomguy34]

I'm still surprised no one has brought up this important point mentioned in Amtrak's recent Corridor Vision: https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/p...ion-052721.pdf

• Extend 1 Wolverine round trip to Toronto using a newly
redeveloped Michigan Central Terminal

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

I'm still surprised no one has brought up this important point mentioned in Amtrak's recent Corridor Vision: https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/p...ion-052721.pdf

• Extend 1 Wolverine round trip to Toronto using a newly
redeveloped Michigan Central Terminal

It has come up a little - but in discussions on the separate transportation thread:

Detroit & Michigan: Go-Town Transportation Lowdown

I haven't seen that full report before though. The momentum for a Detroit to Toronto high speed line has never been higher I think, and it would be great if Michigan Central could serve it.

[pianowizard]

That would be wonderful! According to this article, "The last direct train from Detroit to Toronto was in 1967, and that was before Amtrak existed as a corporation, according to CBC." And here's the CBC website being cited: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/winds...onto-1.5084297

But does the Ford Michigan Central Station still have the original tracks and platforms?