DETROIT – Michigan senators and representatives sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, addressing concerns about TIGER grant funding for Detroit's M-1 Rail project.
The letter, signed by Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, as well as Reps. Sander Levin, John Dingell, John Conyers and Gary Peters, said:
"without the requested $12.2 million TIGER grant, this important project will be delayed indefinitely, and we fear the resulting costs could make the project unaffordable."
However, Matthew Cullen, president and CEO of the M-1 Rail project, released a statement saying that the project is not in jeopardy.
"We remain very optimistic about the requested TIGER grant based on the quality of our application, the strong support of the Mayor, our congressional delegation and others, the Administration's focus and commitment to the City of Detroit, and the profound impact of this project on our community. That being said, the TIGER grant is just one component of our funding structure; there are contingency strategies that we will deploy if the grant is not approved."
Construction for the project will begin after City Council approval.