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‘Save the Bricks’: The future of red bricks on Michigan Avenue in Corktown

MDOT’s US-12 project moves ahead

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 08: A view of downtown from the historic Corktown neighborhood on April 8, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Detroit Department of Transportation buses will begin distributing surgical masks to riders. Over 20,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the state. (Photo by Elaine Cromie/Getty Images) (Elaine Cromie, 2020 Getty Images)

DETROIT – There’s word on the street that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is moving ahead with a road project along Michigan Avenue in Corktown.

It’s the city’s oldest neighborhood, and you may sometimes find yourself every year lining the street in a sea of green the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day for the parade.

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 15: General view of the 2015 Detroit St. Patrick's Day Parade at Michigan Avenue on March 15, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Paul Warner/Getty Images) (2015 Paul Warner)

But when you drive through town, it’s that sound you hear when rolling down the road.

“If you’re a visitor, you know you’re in Corktown when you hit the bricks. If you’re a resident or business owner, you know that you’re home,” said Bob Roberts, president of Corktown’s business association.

MDOT has plans to rebuild a 2-mile stretch of the road from Campus Martius downtown to I-96 with the goal of creating a corridor that promotes safe and equitable access to all forms of mobility. But MDOT’s plans to repurpose the road includes replacing the red bricks with cement that looks like bricks.

The community is not having it. In July, our Kim DeGiulio first told you about the “Save the Bricks" campaign for the community to make sure the red bricks are not a thing in the past.

The project was put into the air in 2019 when MDOT went through a study process and public engagement.

MDOT did a planning and environment linkages study that provides a framework for the future on Michigan Ave. The study suggests removing those historic red bricks that pave both sides of Corktown’s main strip from Rosa Parks Blvd. to the Lodge service drive.

Since that time, MDOT has held public meetings, small group conversations and surveys. Through the outreach, they learned about the most important elements when planning including pedestrian and bike safety, transit experience, place-making, historic character, etc.

What does this mean for businesses and residents? Residents say each brick has a story to tell. Simply put, they’re concerned and rallying to save the historic red bricks that pave Michigan Avenue.

Other concerns include reducing the current lanes of traffic from five to two for vehicular traffic, eliminating parking on Michigan Ave., and the impact the project could have on businesses and residents.

$25M pledged to overhaul Michigan Avenue in Detroit

The project is estimated to be $55 million, $25 million was supported by a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant.

The question is, how do you change Michigan Ave. in a historic town that continues to grow?

That’s the biggest concern for residents, especially with the newly renovated Michigan Central which could eventually have 2,800 Ford Motor Co. employees by 2028.

Other plans include the Detroit City Football Club that is building a new home stadium at Michigan and 20th Street, which is just past the western border of Corktown. And there are residential plans in the works in Corktown and North Corktown that could add hundreds more residents.

MDOT will hold another public meeting about the plan from 4:30-7 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Gaelic League of Detroit, 2068 Michigan Ave. in Corktown. The project team will present updates on pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements, streetscapes enhancements, historical characteristics and innovation.

The goal is to begin construction in spring 2025.

We’ll have to wait and see what the project team has up their sleeves when the digging begins.


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