DETROIT – M-1 Rail today announced it has reached an agreement for the design and construction of its Technical Center, to be located near the northern terminus of the line at Woodward and West Grand Blvd., in the City’s New Center neighborhood.
The agreement is with Turner Construction Co., 3.L.K Construction, ABE Associates Inc., and RNL.
“This facility will be one of the first new construction projects in the neighborhood, and is a key part of the entire project,” said Paul Childs, chief operating officer of M-1 Rail. “Members of the community have had a voice in the eventual design of the building, which will serve as the maintenance and storage and technical center for the streetcars.”
The facility will be called the Penske Technical Center, in recognition of Roger Penske’s leadership of M-1 Rail and Penske Corp. as one of the major donors to the M-1 Rail project.
“The Tech Center will be a catalyst for new development, neighborhood revitalization and new job opportunities. Our design/build approach has been to unite this process with the Detroit community and tap into the community’s passionate grassroots,” said Andre Brooks, president of ABE Associates, speaking on behalf of the design/build team.
ABE Associates, Inc., and 3.L.K. Construction, two of the companies in the design/build team are registered Detroit-headquartered Businesses, Disadvantaged-Business-Enterprises and Minority Business Enters. Turner is a registered Detroit-based Business. The fourth team member, RNL, is a national designer of light rail and mass transit maintenance facilities and is teamed with ABE Engineering Inc. for architectural services.
M-1 Director of External Relations Sommer Woods said M-1 Rail will continue its regular outreach and communication to keep Detroiters informed of scheduled activities, traffic closures, and construction progress.
