The Michigan Department of Transportation is holding another meeting over the future of I-375 in Downtown Detroit on Tuesday evening.
This will be MDOT's seventh public meeting to discuss the I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project. It will take place at 5:30 p.m. at The Eastern at 3434 Russell St.
For years, MDOT and other partners have discussed plans to convert I-375 back into a boulevard and reconnect it to neighborhoods that were divided decades ago.
Before the I-375 highway was built in the early 1960s, it was home to two thriving African American communities, Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. Hastings Street was the main commercial avenue. It was paved over to build the highway.
MDOT held a meeting in June where hundreds of people attended. Picketers were also outside of the meeting holding signs like "Quit Talking, Start Listening." ReThink I-375 Community Coalition has been opposed to the project, saying there's no set vision for what will happen to the area if I-375 is diminished.
Watch below: MDOT holds meeting about huge I-375 project, picketers demand more information
The planned boulevard with intersections would run from Gratiot Ave. to Atwater Street, and construction is set to start in 2025.
“It’s removing the freeway, putting in a boulevard, replacing the freeway with a boulevard that will free up 30-plus acres of development property," MDOT spokesperson Rob Morosi said back in June. “It's looking at really what does the community want with that property? Do they want green space? Do they want tributes to Black Bottom and Paradise Valley that were decimated by policy decisions 70 years ago?"
Some city leaders like Detroit Planning and Development director Antoine Bryant say while the project is fluid and things still need to be worked out, it will be a positive for the community in the long run.
"We'll have a roadway that is safer for resident to traverse, we'll have slower speeds for vehicular traffic and will also result in new real estate," Bryant said.
Earlier this month, the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) released its I-375 Peer Review Report, which included design evaluation and collaboration, construction mitigation and assessment sections.
According to the DDP, community feedback and the peer review process led to significant improvements to the design since 2023 – including a better design for pedestrians, a restoration of the street grid and more.
The DDP said recommendations to continue to improve the project include:
- Ensuring the design of the interchange is right by decreasing the size of its footprint to create more direct connections to destination, future developments and provide safe, walkable and bikeable connections between neighborhoods;
- Incorporating Reconnective, Reparative and Restorative (R3) outcomes in design, construction, future land use, development, and economic participation;
- Utilizing effective construction mitigation by building out a robust suite of economic mitigation strategies prior to construction;
- Designing the boulevard for people and vibrant street life.
The report is broken down into three parts: Opportunity, Evaluation and Mitigation. You can read each
part by clicking the link on its name.
