Friends, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about the I-375 Reconnecting Communities project (and it probably won’t be the last). What’s newsworthy today is that the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) has released a comprehensive review of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project plan as it stands. This review is important reading for anyone involved in the project and worthy of a look for anyone interested.
This is so much more than an infrastructure project given its community impact and potential. The I-375 project presents Detroit with an opportunity to respond to the weight of the past, address the needs of the present, and set us up for success in the future. We can be the first city to lead on near and long-term opportunities for critical restorative and reparative wins while redefining how we address mobility for decades to come in the city.
Since January, thanks to a grant from The Kresge Foundation, DDP staff and a highly qualified team of consultants have analyzed the plans proposed by MDOT and the City of Detroit. We commend their work, as this is a challenging task. At the top of this task is to recognize the social and environmental impact associated with removing a major piece of freeway that many if not most would argue should never have been built in the first place. As the DDP team dug into the plan in partnership with MDOT and the City, we demonstrated options and alternatives to improve the design that led to refining the design. But we didn’t stop there. Through this process, we challenged project assumptions, the planning process, construction mitigation framework and the proposed design. We looked to projects around the country which demonstrated best practices and mistakes to avoid. Our team invested countless hours in research and leveraged it depth and breadth of expertise.
Now as the project moves from the initial planning stages to final design it is important our broader community sees the progress, efforts and opportunity contained in the Peer Review.
The following are the Cliff Notes of our nearly 200-page Review.
The MDOT proposal though continued work with the City and community can support:
- Decrease the footprint size to create more direct connections to and between destinations and provide safe, walkable, and bikeable connections.
- Design a boulevard for people and vibrant street life with trees to add character and beauty and provide heat shields.
- Design the interchange and Gratiot intersection to reconnect surrounding neighborhoods and districts to the Downtown.
- Create Reconnective/Reparative/Restorative (R3) outcomes in design, construction, future land use, development, and economic participation
- Create a Greater Downtown Transportation and Mobility Vision to inform future highway removal projects.
- Ensure that excess land the project creates maximizes existing and new land development potential for commercial and residential projects.
A well-designed boulevard can ensure we address the principles of repairing, restoring, and reconnecting; address the past harms of Detroiters who lived or owned businesses in Black Bottom and Paradise Valley; and position Detroit for future economic growth and community connection.
There’s much more in the review than I can include here. But if you’re reading this, you know the DDP, and you know that we are a forward-thinking, trusted organization that does everything it can to execute a shared vision of a truly connected city that will meet the needs of businesses, residents, and visitors today and tomorrow.
Six decades ago, I-375 bifurcated Detroit. Today, thanks to community engagement and the outpouring of viewpoints, and the willingness of our public partners, we understand the emotion it elicits, that planning must be inclusive, and that communication must be strategic, transparent, and ongoing.
We have one opportunity to usher in a new era for the city through this project. There will be no second chances. We must get this right, and we hope our work can guide critical next steps going forward.
We welcome your comments. Email us at [email protected].
