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Woodward To Shut Down In July For Detroit Light Rail Construction

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A timeline has been set for construction on Detroit's $140 million light rail project.

M-1 Rail officials announced that Woodward Avenue will be closed from Adams Street to Campus Martius Park for about 120 days for work starting Monday, July 28.

"Over the next thirty days our team will be pounding the pavement to make everyone who lives, works and visits the Woodward corridor aware of what they should expect from track construction and how to navigate around it once we begin on July 28th," Paul Childs, Chief Operating Officer of M-1 Rail, said in a statement.

Officials say the Michigan Department of Transportation and DTE Energy Co. could start related work around mid-July before M-1 Rail starts its construction. Work by MDOT and DTE on Woodward Avenue is expected to result in lane closures, but not a road shutdown.

The streetcar line is to expected to start running along Woodward Avenue in 2016 —  assuming construction isn't delayed. The streetcar will run every seven minutes along Woodward Avenue from Jefferson Avenue to just north of Grand Boulevard.

The streetcar line is expected to include 11 stations, with connections to Campus Martius, Comerica Park, the Detroit Medical Center area and Wayne State University. The plan calls for six cars, traveling from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., at 12 mph.

TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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