m1railrendering.jpg

A rendering of Detroit's M1 Rail

(Courtesy image)

DETROIT, MI - The first streetcar line in Detroit since the last remnants of a sprawling system was torn up in the 1950s will break ground July 28.

It's the $140 million M-1 Rail project, a 3.3-mile light rail that will ultimately stretch from downtown Detroit to Grand Boulevard in New Center. The M-1 Rail is expected to be complete around the end of 2016, shortly before a massive Detroit Red Wings arena and entertainment district along its route is supposed to take shape.

Along the M-1 Rail line, there will be 20 different stations serving 12 stops, with most of the stations being on either side of Woodward, but some will be in the center of the street as well.

There will be six 60-foot-long, driver-operated cars available for operation. Either end of the streetcar will be able to drive, so the car need not turn around – the driver just goes to the other end.

The project is seen as a major catalyst for development along the Woodward corridor when it comes online.

"This is not just a transit project, it really is to drive economic development," M-1 Rail president and CEO Matt Cullen said at a media briefing earlier this month.

But before late-2016 arrives, there will be a lot of construction, including the complete closure of a portion of lower Woodward Avenue.

Work starts Monday, July 28, so here's a breakdown of what you should know:

On Sunday night (July 27), detour signage will be installed on the northbound and southbound lanes of Woodward Avenue from Adams to Campus Martius.

Woodward Avenue will be closed beginning at 12 a.m. Monday, and will remain closed from Adams to Campus Martius for 120 days.

Most construction work will occur between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

This is the only portion of construction on Woodward in which car traffic will be rerouted. In later phases of work, at least two lanes (one northbound and one southbound) will remain open.

Construction work in the area will include concrete removal, drainage and track installation and repaving the road.

DTE will simultaneously be doing utility work, and MDOT will be simultaneously repairing the road.

Cross streets will remain open to vehicular traffic, expect for when select work is done on them.

Sidewalks along the work zone will remain open, and access to businesses and residences in the zone will be maintained.

Later, MDOT will be doing a complete rebuild of the bridges over Interstates 75 and 94 in concert with the project. There will be around-the-clock lane closures on I-75 traffic in each direction will remain open.

Both directions of I-75 will be closed between the M-10 John C. Lodge Freeway and I-375 four times during construction, with the closures occurring in off-peak times (between 9 a.m. and 5 a.m.) on weekends. The same is true for I-94 between M-10 and I-75. These closures are a little ways off yet, and will be announced in advance. We'll be sure to give you the heads-up. A website for the project is regularly updated at www.M-1Rail.com.

The federal government signed off on the M1 Rail project in April. In January 2013, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $25 million in federal funding for the transit project. Fifteen private donors led by Penske Chairman Roger Penske, Quicken Chairman Dan Gilbert and M-1 CEO Matt Cullen contributed $100 million to the project.

M-1 Rail Line Plan 6 Gallery: M-1 Rail Line Plan

David Muller is the business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter