DETROIT, MI – Gov. Rick Snyder signed four sets of bills supporting major Detroit projects Wednesday at D:Hive in the city's central business district.

"What a huge package of projects," Snyder said over the sounds of boisterous protest outside the building by union supporters demonstrating against "right-to-work" legislation the governor signed last week.

Snyder sat down in the colorful Woodward Avenue resource center for businesses and residents and signed three packages of bills that will create a public transit authority for the metro area, a lighting authority for Detroit and a way for the city's Downtown Development Authority to contribute some funds to help Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch build a new hockey arena.

He also signed a fourth set of lesser-known legislation that officials said will development at Eastern Market.

Snyder said the transit legislation was 40 years in the making, finally passed on the 24th attempt to create such an authority.

"This was the counties coming together to design a plan," Snyder said with Wanye County Executive Robert Ficano and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson alongside him.

Mayor Dave Bing said the cooperation between various southeast Michigan county and city officials on the transit legislation was unprecedented.

"Without them, I don't think this would have happened," Bing said. "We have an alignment that we haven't had for years and years."

The authority is expected to raise funds and oversee various high-speed mass transit projects throughout the region.

Bing said passage of the lighting legislation was a major step forward in his plan to fix thousands of broken fixtures around the city, but that it will take time for an authority to be appointed, bonds to be sold and work to begin.

"There's a lot of work to be done," he said. "The most stressing thing for me has been the lighting. Everyone says 'When are you going to get the lights on?'"

State Rep. Maureen Stapleton said the project could help improve public safety in Detroit.

"There will be light in the city of Detroit again," Stapleton said. "...Hundreds of good paying jobs will be created and residents will begin feeling safe again."

Snyder said a recent drive along Jefferson Avenue gave him an idea of how dire the lighting situation is in Detroit.

"We went down two or three miles on Jefferson and the lights weren't on. And that's not right," Snyder said.

With members of the Ilitch family alongside him, Snyder said the plan to build a massive new Detroit Red Wings arena will link the city's Midtown and Downtown areas.

"There are only so many large-scale, high-impact opportunities that can create so many jobs and this is one of those opportunities," said Chris Ilitch, CEO of Ilitch holdings.

Eastern Market Corporation President Dan Carmody said the gathering of various political leaders and even the protesters outside were a symbol of people coming together to discuss and solve difficult long-standing Michigan problems.

"We ought to have these conversations," he said, pointing to the demonstrators on the sidewalk, who chanted "Hey hey. Ho ho. Right to work has go to go" and carried a sign depicting Snyder as the devil throughout the entire event.

Follow Khalil AlHajal on Twitter @DetroitKhalil or on Facebook at Khalil MLive. He can be reached at kalhajal@mlive.com or 313-643-0527.