Laura Colvin

Livingston Daily

Nearly 75% of Livingston County residents commute out of the county for work each day.

That’s the word from the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce, which will host one of three community meetings next week, allowing residents and other stakeholders to gather information and offer input on the North-South Commuter Rail Feasibility Study, also known as WALLY.

The first meeting is set for from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Chamber of Commerce office, 123 E. Washington St. in Howell.

WALLY is a proposed 27-mile long commuter rail service, which would run on existing tracks between Ann Arbor and Howell, with intermediate stops along the way.

The project, a 10-year-initiative, is being evaluated as a cost-effective alternative to ease traffic congestion along US-23 and to promote economic development and job creation in the region.

“We know a commuter rail could be a phenomenal addition of the economic development of this area,” said chamber President Pat Convery, who has served on the project’s advisory board for a number of years and said the chamber supports investigating the feasibility of the service.

Supporters say residual benefits of the service would improve commuters lives, reduce emissions and increase property values.

“Wherever rail transportation is added, the area realizes a sizable uptick in economic development, especially around the train station, with the building of new houses, stores and shops," Convery said. "(Rail transportation) also appeals to those who don’t necessarily want to drive – our millennials, in many cases, and we all know Michigan is trying to keep young people in the state who have graduated from our universities.”

“But it's all about the money,” she added. “That’s the rub – coming up with the money.”

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority is facilitating the feasibility study through various phases and tasks identified in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.

If the project is determined feasible, the assessment will be used as part of the documentation required to prepare the project for future federal funding.

The upcoming meetings are the third and final set of planned gatherings tied to the project.

The second meeting is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Northfield Township offices, 8350 Main Street in Whitmore Lake. The third and final meeting takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m Wednesday at Eberwhite Elementary School Auditorium, 800 Soule Blvd. in Ann Arbor (parking at Eberwhite is located off of Soule Blvd. with additional parking off of Park Dr. at Mt Vernon).

Contact reporter Laura Colvin at 517-552-2848 or lcolvin@livingstondaily.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.