Freeway Removal: I-375

[RustTown]

After a few years of fits-and-starts, it appears MDOT is behind removing I-375 through the east end of downtown Detroit.

 

Quote

MDOT I-375 study backs boulevard plans

By Annalise Frank | Crain's Detroit Business

December 3, 2017

The Michigan Department of Transportation's study of I-375 reimagines the freeway as a boulevard connecting I-75 with Detroit's central business district and waterfront.

The department chose to move forward with two "practical alternatives" to the current highway setup, which has degraded and no longer meets the needs of a city with a newly bustling downtown area, said Jonathan Loree, a senior project manager for MDOT.

Option #4

Option #5

Maybe new ideas are finally getting their day at MDOT.

The next steps are a public meeting on Tuesday, followed by a month or two of review of the draft environmental assessment.  By spring, they will either select a preferred alternative from the two refined versions of what we see above, followed by a public reveiw of that decision.  Design and construction would begin in 2019 with a 2022 completion.  Hopefully, they are able to pick a preferred alternative this spring to speed up the entire process.

Along with turning the freeway into a boulevard, the chosen alternative for Gratiot Avenue would eliminate the largely useless Gratiot Connector just east of the I-75/I-375 interchange opening up more room for development south of Eastern Market and making Gratiot Avenue more friendly to both auto and pedestrian traffic.