Detroit, Michigan

Infrastructure

Medicine

Detroit is home to three major medical systems: the Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System, and the St. John's Health System. Detroit Receiving Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, and St. John's Hospital are all Level I Trauma Centers. Detroit is considered to have some of the busiest emergency rooms in the United States. The Detroit Medical Center consists of Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Harper University Hospital, Hutzel Women's Hospital, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute. It is staffed by physicians from Wayne State University School of Medicine which is the largest medical school in the United States. Henry Ford Hospital, Children's Hospital of Michigan and Harper University Hospital are consistently ranked by US News and World Report as some of the best hospitals in the United States.

Related Topics:
Detroit Medical Center - Henry Ford Hospital - Emergency rooms - Wayne State University - Medical school - US News and World Report - Hospitals - United States

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Transportation

Because of its gateway between the United States and Canada and its major industrial status — along with its major highways, rail connections and international airport — Detroit has been an important transportation hub.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Detroit is the crossroads for six major Interstate Highways, including I-94 (Edsel Ford Freeway), I-96 (Edward Jeffries Freeway), I-696 (Walter Reuther Freeway), I-275, and I-375 (Walter Chrysler Freeway). Also the city has two international border crossings, the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, both linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario on the Canadian side by crossing the Detroit River onto Ontario Highway 401.

Related Topics:
Interstate Highway - I-94 - Edsel Ford - I-96 - Edward Jeffries - I-696 - Walter Reuther - I-275 - I-375 - Walter Chrysler - Ambassador Bridge - Detroit-Windsor Tunnel - Windsor, Ontario - Canadian - Detroit River - Highway 401

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Coleman A. Young International Airport (DET) is on Detroit's northeast side. As of 2005, the airport has no commercial passenger service though it does have 24 hour operations and US Customs service. Until 2003, it was known as Detroit City Airport and was the area's primary commercial airport before 1946.

Related Topics:
Coleman A. Young International Airport - 2005 - 2003 - 1946

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The main area airports lie in suburban Metro Detroit. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International Airport (DTW), the Detroit area's principal airport, is located in nearby Romulus, Michigan and is a hub for Northwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines. As of 2004, DTW is the world's tenth busiest airport in terms of total air arrivals and departures, and nineteenth in terms of passenger traffic.

Related Topics:
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International Airport - Airport - Romulus, Michigan - Northwest Airlines - Spirit Airlines - 2004

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Willow Run Airport, west of DTW in western Wayne and eastern Washtenaw counties near Ypsilanti, was the area's commercial airport from 1946 until the airlines gradually moved operations to DTW in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It served as the primary manufacturing center for the B-24 Liberator during World War II; this and other area industries led to Detroit's WWII nickname as the Arsenal of Democracy.http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=73&category=locations

Related Topics:
Willow Run Airport - Ypsilanti - 1946 - 1950s - 1960s - B-24 Liberator - World War II

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mass transit within the city functions within two separate sphere's of influence. Transit services within the city are provided by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), which provides bus service which terminates at the suburbs' edges. Service in the suburbs is provided by Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART). Although SMART buses picks up passengers within Detroit, it cannot drop them off due to the exclusive jurisdiction the DDOT has over these routes. Combining the systems has been problematic and tainted by the racial politics that has affected all aspects of city-suburban relationships. In recent years, the Southeast Michigan Transportation Authority has been established with the goal of expanding and integrating the transit systems located in the Detroit Metro area. The Michigan Court of Appeals in 2005 determined that the authority lacks the ability to act under Michigan law; plans to integrate the systems are on hold.

Related Topics:
Mass transit - Detroit Department of Transportation - Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation - Southeast Michigan Transportation Authority - Michigan Court of Appeals - 2005

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Detroit also has a light rail system known as the People Mover, providing a 2.9 mile loop in the downtown area. Although criticized for its high costs and frequent breakdowns, the People Mover usually operates daily.

Related Topics:
Light rail - People Mover

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The city is also served by Amtrak with routes connecting to Chicago, Ann Arbor, and other Michigan destinations. The current rail facility, north of downtown replaced the still standing, but neglected Michigan Central Station, west of downtown. Further away from downtown and abandoned at a time when crime was rising in the neighborhood, Amtrak vacated the building in 1984. Designed by the same architects that designed Grand Central Terminal in New York City and opened in 1913, the station's fate remains unknown.

Related Topics:
Amtrak - Chicago - Ann Arbor - Michigan - Michigan Central Station - 1984 - Grand Central Terminal - New York City - 1913

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~