The Michigan Department of Transportation released a report this week analyzing potential impacts of the long-awaited I-375 redo in downtown Detroit, from less parking to more pedestrian accessibility.
The state is taking public comments over the next month and a half that it says it will take into consideration as it makes final decisions in redesigning the freeway as a street-level boulevard.
The mile-long roadway, which won't actually be reconstructed for up to six more years, is considered outdated, unsafe and in need of repair. It's also seen by many as a concrete barrier between downtown Detroit and the near-east side. It was built in the early 1960s by bulldozing over what were previously thriving Black-owned businesses.
MDOT scheduled a federally mandated in-person public hearing Jan. 28 and a virtual meeting Jan. 27 for those who want to comment on the new report, which is called an environmental assessment. It gives an in-depth look at the project, how it came to be and, most notably, how it could impact pedestrians, drivers, the environment and more.
Members of the public who don't attend a meeting can also submit comments any time through Feb. 19. More information is on the department's website.
MDOT is spending $8 million to design the new I-75 interchange and a new replacement boulevard from south of Gratiot Avenue leading down to the riverfront. It anticipates another $8 million bump in the coming months to finish the process as well, according to MDOT senior project manager Jonathan Loree.
It would entail rebuilding the interchange between I-75 and I-375 and filling in the four-lane, 20-foot-deep freeway. The boulevard would have four lanes in each direction, eliminating the service drives and shifting the boulevard to the west side of where the highway is, which frees up some land for new use. Bridges would be replaced, as well as "confusing" entrance and exit ramps, the report says.
The timeline for when Detroiters could see construction start on I-375 is not clear. While previous estimates were pegged at 2022, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration last year decided not to prioritize it, pushing the $180 million project back likely to 2027. But Loree said there's a strong desire from the city of Detroit and MDOT to try to get that moved up to 2023 at the earliest.
"The City of Detroit's Planning and Development Department and the Department of Public Works have been working with MDOT to craft a vision for the future of the I-375 corridor that leverages the project's potential to reconnect neighborhoods, support ongoing development and improve the economic outlook for the city and the region," Katy Trudeau, city planning deputy director, said in a statement. "We look forward to sharing more details and to engaging residents to get their feedback on the project in the future."
As MDOT and those it would impact think about this project, here are some of the biggest changes it portends:
The exit from I-375 to Jefferson Avenue, east of the Renaissance Center, curves east in a unique way that is prone to accidents. That would disappear and be replaced with a regular street light intersection between Jefferson and the new boulevard that would allow cars to continue south toward the Detroit River (they can't currently).
The new corridor will no longer be a highway; it will have traffic lights, meaning slower going for car commuters. The report estimates it will add a two-minute traffic delay in peak morning hours and seven-minute delay in evening rush hours.
The boulevard allows for expanded bus service and new routes that make going east to west into and out of downtown easier, and adds bicycle lanes along the boulevard and streets that connect with Eastern Market.
Pedestrians will come into contact with cars more and face potentially long wait times to cross the boulevard. It can take up to 3 minutes and 57 seconds to cross the boulevard east to west. But MDOT does say it's adding pedestrian shelter areas and more sidewalk space. Pedestrians will also, crucially, have shorter walking distances with more accessibility along the boulevard and around Eastern Market. With wait times it could take up to 3 minutes and 57 seconds to cross the boulevard east to west.
Taking out the service drives will eliminate 449 street parking spaces, according to Loree and the report, including some that are often used around Eastern Market on busy weekend days.
Removing some bridges and reconstructing others will mean either permanently or temporarily displacing homeless people who find shelter anywhere along I-375. It "may require moving homeless people and their belongings out of the 'right of way,'" the report says. It adds that "MDOT will work with the city of Detroit to give the homeless notice of construction and assist them with finding services to help them find alternative housing." Specifics on that process were not laid out.
MDOT's environmental assessment says, based on the department's research, that the project would have "no adverse effect" on historic and archaeological sites, air quality or environmental justice issues. But it does say there is a "potential" impact on surface water quality.
You can read the full report here.
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January 09, 2021 at 03:41AM
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7 ways an I-375 redesign would impact people, cars in downtown Detroit - Crain's Detroit Business
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