Geoffrey Chatas,
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
The University of Michigan is revisiting a Campus Connector transportation concept that would enable people to move between the Central, Medical and North campuses in minutes.
As an initial step, U-M will convene a virtual Industry Day on June 6, where prospective vendors will receive an overview of the project’s goals, scope and requirements.
The university expects to launch a corresponding request for qualifications this summer, inviting potential partners to submit information for the design, construction and long-term operation of the system.
“We’re embarking on a formal process to optimize our university transit network and create a more connected, more cohesive Ann Arbor campus,” said Geoff Chatas, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
“As our university community grows, so does the need for a more efficient transportation network. Though we’ve explored the Campus Connector previously, we’re excited to relaunch this initiative, collaborate with surrounding communities and examine ways to build a system that would be fast, convenient, environmentally sustainable and equitable.”
The Campus Connector concept would include a core automated transit system, which serves select hubs via an elevated guideway, as well as a corresponding high-efficiency, high-capacity bus rapid transit system.
Because the automated transit system would not share roadways or otherwise impede regular vehicular traffic, organizers expect the project to decrease local traffic congestion. It also is anticipated to decrease parking demand and increase local economic development opportunities, as it would connect relatively less dense North Campus stations to the Medical and Central campuses.
In addition to providing quicker and more convenient cross-campus transportation, the Connector would aim to complement universitywide work toward carbon neutrality and serve as a model for sustainable mobility.
Although the Connector would increase the university’s energy demand, it would decrease commuting-related greenhouse gas emissions. As U-M seeks to procure 100% of its purchased electricity from renewable sources, the transit system ultimately would derive its energy entirely from renewables.
Concurrently, U-M continues to acquire battery-powered electric buses as it works to electrify its vehicle fleet. Carbon neutrality, climate action and environmental justice are core values in multiple universitywide initiatives, including Vision 2034, Campus Plan 2050 and the Connector project.
U-M has been actively exploring the Campus Connector concept for several years in collaboration with the city of Ann Arbor and various local and regional stakeholders.
The project recently has moved forward alongside Campus Plan 2050, a long-term effort to explore how the Ann Arbor campus should be designed to support the university’s mission, and Vision 2034, which seeks to define what U-M wants to accomplish and how it will evolve over the next 10 years.
The university will share additional information regarding potential technologies, routes and funding sources for the Campus Connector as the project progresses.
