The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) has been awarded a $2-million federal grant to study and seek public input into the proposed construction of a “lid,” or an expansive bridge, over I-75 near Woodward Avenue to better connect downtown with Midtown.
“This investment could knit downtown Detroit and Midtown back together, providing a pedestrian-oriented connector traversing I-75,” says Zachary Kolodin, chief infrastructure officer and director of the Michigan Infrastructure Office.
The proposal would be similar to the overlays along I-696 in the Oak Park area that were built to better connect communities and provide residents with park space. The overlay plan for I-75 near Woodward was first proposed prior to the opening of Little Caesars Arena in 2017.
“The I-75 Overbuild Planning Project: Advancing Detroit’s Future by Reestablishing Neighborhood Connections” grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Grant Program, an initiative to reconnect communities that are cut off from opportunity and burdened by past transportation infrastructure decisions.
The DDP will use the funding to support its work with the city of Detroit and the Michigan Department of Transportation to conduct community engagement and a mobility analysis to support the development of preliminary engineering and design documents to determine the feasibility of the construction of a lid on a portion of I-75 that bisects downtown Detroit.
The project presents a generational opportunity to reconnect downtown to the neighborhoods by removing barriers and reducing burdens.
“The DDP advocates for a holistic approach to the city’s transportation network in support of a strong central core. We’re eager to work with the city of Detroit and MDOT to identify a solution that benefits the community, and this funding accelerates our analysis,” says Eric B. Larson, CEO of the DDP.
“There’s a unique opportunity for Detroit to transform its transportation system in a way that positions the city for a stronger, more connected community for decades to come through this project.”
The city of Detroit also directly received a $1.9 million earmark to support the I-75 overbuild project.
“The city of Detroit is strongly supportive of projects like the I-75 Overbuild that help to bridge divides between neighborhoods created by infrastructure,” says Sam Krassenstein, Detroit’s chief of infrastructure.
The analysis will build upon ongoing work by the DDP to enhance downtown Detroit. The DDP is focused on the I-75 project design and execution being complementary to the work happening on I-375.
The RCN Program was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funding is aimed at reconnecting communities that were cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity, like schools, jobs, medical offices, and places of worship.
For more information on the DDP’s current infrastructure projects, visit Downtown Detroit Partnership Infrastructure & Planning
For more information about the DDP, visit DowntownDetroit.org.
