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Jason Hargrove Transit Center

Coordinates: 42°26′36″N 83°07′0.52″W / 42.44333°N 83.1168111°W / 42.44333; -83.1168111
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Jason Hargrove Transit Center
General information
Location1121 8 Mile Road
Detroit, Michigan
United States
Coordinates42°26′36″N 83°07′0.52″W / 42.44333°N 83.1168111°W / 42.44333; -83.1168111
Owned byCity of Detroit
Operated byDDOT
Bus routes13
Bus stands11
Bus operatorsDDOT
SMART
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Bicycle facilitiesMoGo Bikeshare
AccessibleYes
Other information
Websitedetroitmi.gov/departments/detroit-department-transportation/jason-hargrove-transit-center Edit this at Wikidata
History
OpenedMay 11, 2024 (2024-05-11)
Previous namesMichigan State Fair Dairy Cattle Building
Michigan State Fair Riding Coliseum, Dairy Cattle Building, and Agricultural Building
Built1924
ArchitectLynn W. Fry
NRHP reference No.80001925
Added to NRHPJune 6, 1980
Location
Map


The Jason Hargrove Transit Center (JHTC) is a major public transit station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the third iteration of the State Fair Transit Center, located at the old Michigan State Fairgrounds,[1] near the Gateway Marketplace and intersection of 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. It serves as the secondary hub for the Detroit Department of Transportation bus network, as well as a major transfer point for the suburban SMART network, served by 13 bus routes in total.[2]

The JHTC is an adaptive reuse project designed by NORR, housed in the former Dairy Cattle Building, the last remaining structure from the Michigan State Fair at the site. The remainder of the State Fair site has been redeveloped for retail and industrial uses.

Services

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Services from the transit center include 13 bus routes, 10 of which terminate at the station. As of May 2024, the transit center is expected to serve 25,000 passengers per week.[3]

Services from the Jason Hargrove Transit Center
Operator Route Direction Destination
DDOT[4] 4 Woodward Southbound Downtown Detroit
12 Conant Belle Isle
17 Eight Mile Eastbound Ascension St. John Hospital
17 Eight Mile Westbound Northland Center
30 Livernois Southbound Southwest Detroit, Jefferson & Brennan
54 Wyoming Southwest Detroit, Jefferson & West End
SMART[5] 405 Northwestern Highway Westbound Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital
450 Woodward Local Northbound Phoenix Center, Pontiac
460 Woodward Local Somerset Collection
461 FAST Woodward Troy Civic Center
462 FAST Woodward Great Lakes Crossing
461 FAST Woodward Southbound Downtown Detroit
462 FAST Woodward
492 Rochester Northbound Oakland University
494 Dequindre Beaumont Hospital, Troy
495 John R Oakland Mall

History

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Fairgrounds

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The Michigan State Fairgrounds, an approximately 160-acre (65 ha) site at 8 Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, hosted the annual Michigan State Fair from 1905 to 2009. The fair went on hiatus in 2009 amidst funding difficulties, and returned in 2012 at the Suburban Collection Showplace. During the administration of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, the northwestern portion of the site was redeveloped into a shopping center, anchored by a Meijer store. Additional redevelopment proposals were made in the late 2010s, and much of the site was redeveloped for industrial uses by 2023.[6]

The redevelopment of the State Fairgrounds was controversial. Following the construction of the shopping center, the proposals to redevelop the rest of the site for industrial use were met with resistance. Preservationists highlighted the historic value of the buildings on the site, which included the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, the Dairy Cattle Building, and a historic band shell. In 2021, the plans for the State Fairgrounds redevelopment were revised, which included retaining the Dairy Cattle Building as a new transit center and relocating the band shell to Palmer Park. The Coliseum was demolished in 2022.[7]

Transit center

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The original State Fair Transit Center, located at what is now the corner of Woodward Avenue and Remington Street, had existed since the era of the Department of Street Railways, and was once served by streetcars. Construction at the Fairgrounds site required a new access street, and the original Transit Center closed permanently on November 6, 2022, with only one week of public notice, and was demolished soon thereafter. A new, temporary transit center entered service the next day.[8][9][10]

Construction on the new transit center began in May 2023, with extensive interior demolition of the Dairy Cattle Building. The station features a heated indoor lobby, with a ticket office and vending machine, public restrooms, and artifacts preserved from the Coliseum, including a sign, stadium seats, and a scoreboard.

Namesake

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Detroit City Council member Fred Durhall III speaks at the transit center dedication ceremony, with Desha Johnson-Hargrove holding the Spirit of Detroit Award

The transit center is named for DDOT bus driver Jason Hargrove, who died on April 1, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. Hargrove, a father of six, had worked for DDOT since 2016, and was an active member of the Amalgamated Transit Union.[11][12]

Hargrove gained national attention from a viral video he posted on Facebook on March 21, 2020,[11] in which he described being coughed on by a careless passenger, and advocated for stronger protections for DDOT bus drivers in the then-early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hargrove's video was the subject of national media coverage, highlighting the serious nature of the COVID-19 crisis, and its effect on frontline workers.[11][12] In a letter to the editor in Time published on April 8, Hargrove's widow Desha Johnson-Hargrove pleaded with the public to honor his legacy by staying at home during the crisis.[13]

The new transit center was dedicated to Hargrove in a ceremony in March 2024. Hargrove was posthumously awarded the Spirit of Detroit Award at the ceremony, which was attended by DDOT and city leadership and Hargrove's family.[14]

References

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  1. ^ Lawrence, Eric D. (March 15, 2024). "New Detroit transit center to be named for DDOT driver who died after COVID-19 warning". Detroit Free Press.
  2. ^ "Mayor: New Transit Center will be named in honor of late DDOT Driver Jason Hargrove". City of Detroit. March 15, 2024.
  3. ^ Martin, Kylie (May 11, 2024). "Mayor Duggan takes bus to opening day at Detroit's new Jason Hargrove Transit Center". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  4. ^ DDOT System Map (PDF) (Map). Detroit Department of Transportation. April 25, 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  5. ^ SMART System Map (PDF) (Map). Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation. September 11, 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  6. ^ Reindl, J. C. (July 26, 2023). "Newly open Amazon Fulfillment Center employs 1,200+ people, mostly Detroit residents". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  7. ^ Wethington, Lauren (January 27, 2022). "Public says goodbye to Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum as demolition nears". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  8. ^ "STATE FAIR TRANSIT CENTER CLOSURE & RELOCATION NOVEMBER 7, 2022". Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation. November 3, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-12-04.
  9. ^ Huffman, Bryce (November 21, 2022). "Some bus riders left cold and confused by temporary State Fair transit hub". Bridge Detroit.
  10. ^ "DDOT announces new transit hub location as work on new State Fair Transit Center continues". City of Detroit. November 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  11. ^ a b c Jaffe, Greg; Gowen, Annie (April 13, 2020). "The high price of keeping Detroit moving". Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  12. ^ a b Witsil, Frank (April 3, 2020). "After Detroit bus driver's death and another infection, workers question what is essential". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  13. ^ Johnson-Hargrove, Desha; Vesoulis, Abby (April 8, 2020). "Coronavirus Killed My Husband. Stay Home to Save Others". Time. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  14. ^ Woods, Megan (March 15, 2024). "New transit center in Detroit named in honor of late DDOT driver". WDIV. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
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