DDP is a recipient of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program
DETROIT (March 14, 2024) — The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) announced today it has been awarded a federal grant of $2,000,000 for “The I-75 Overbuild Planning Project: Advancing Detroit’s Future by Reestablishing Neighborhood Connections.” The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the grant 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. This 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,” said Eric B. Larson, CEO, 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 $1.9M 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. We are appreciative of the Biden-Harris administration and USDOT investment in furthering the analysis of this great project and to Senator Peters for his support in bringing needed additional federal resources and funding to the early stages of planning & design work that will lay the groundwork on bringing this idea to reality. We look forward to working with MDOT and DDP on moving this project forward and creating opportunity for the surrounding communities,” said Sam Krassenstein, chief of infrastructure, City of Detroit.
“This investment could knit downtown Detroit and Midtown back together, providing a pedestrian-oriented connector traversing I-75,” said Zachary Kolodin, chief infrastructure officer and director of the Michigan Infrastructure Office. “We appreciate the U.S. Department of Transportation’s support for planning and engineering to make this project a reality.”
This analysis will build upon ongoing work by the DDP to enhance Downtown Detroit. The DDP is focused on this project’s 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 you can view them here: Downtown Detroit Partnership Infrastructure & Planning
About the Downtown Detroit Partnership
The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) strengthens and supports Downtown Detroit through strategic initiatives and programs. DDP convenes business, philanthropic, and government partners to create a vibrant and resilient urban core for Detroit and the surrounding community. DDP is responsible for programming, managing, and operating several of Downtown Detroit’s parks and public spaces. For more information, visit DowntownDetroit.org.
###
