DETROIT, Mich. — At a public meeting at MSU Detroit Center Tuesday, the city of Detroit, Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and MDOT discussed future plans for I-75 in downtown Detroit. The city is moving steadfast in its efforts to put caps over I-75 to better connect parts of downtown to midtown.
“Right now the downtown is sort of an island. We have 375 on one side, I-75, the Lodge and so now can we reconnect the downtown back to the neighborhoods, back to the communities," Downtown Detroit Partnership Urban Evolution Strategist James Fidler said.
The goal is to restore city connections between neighborhoods and increase safety for pedestrians.
I-75 was built through the downtown area in the 1950s and replaced active, thriving communities. The city, MDOT, and DDP are now looking to bring that connectivity back.
The $200 million dollar plan is looking at areas that cross I-75 from 3rd Street to Brush Street, with possibly three large caps considered over parts of Grand River, Woodward, and more. The project is being planned in coordination with the I-375 revitalization project.
Businesses like Harry's Bar and Grill are excited about what this could mean for them and the city.
"I mean it will definitely help business exponentially, having people walk around more and more foot traffic, it’s just gonna bring more business," Harry's Service Manager Cesar Ramirez said.
Other residents, like Shannon Cason, say they’re a bit worried about such a large project and construction in the downtown area over a number of years, and hope the project takes the historical significance of what the interstate split up into mind.
“Some of those forgotten stories and seeing if we can resurface them. People who had businesses, who had thriving communities, who had to leave Detroit because of it," Cason said.
Design of the caps was the main topic of conversation Tuesday. Each cap could be different, depending on what the surrounding communities want and need: Retail space, parks, restaurants, trails, spaces for art and events. Ramirez says they’d love to drown out some of the freeway noise with a little peaceful greenery.
Either way, residents are just excited about the continuous revitalization of Detroit.
Future phases include securing funding, design and environmental studies (2025), completing design and initiating construction (2025/26), and completing construction with added amenities (2027/28).
Input is encouraged from the community, project plans and ideas can be viewed here.
