CORKTOWN, Mich. – Local 4 has been telling you that plans to rebuild a portion of Michigan Avenue between Corktown and Campus Martius are raising concerns.
Especially since some say the design calls for removing historic brick pavers along that street.
The Michigan Department of Transportation and the city held a public meeting about the project on Thursday (Sept. 12) night, and many people showed up to give input.
Community members gathered to discuss proposed improvements along a portion of US-12 or Michigan Avenue in Detroit.
“We’re here tonight to solicit input from the community for the rebuilding of Michigan Avenue,” said MDOT Project Manager Mohammed Alghurabi.
MDOT and the city of Detroit hosted the meeting amid growing community concerns as the agencies prepare to rebuild a two-mile stretch of Michigan Avenue between I-96 and Campus Martius.
Grace Keros is a downtown business owner who is among those who showed up with questions.
“I want to hear that my business, number one, will not be disrupted,” said Keros. “Again. Because time and time again, they fix sidewalks three times within a year. They fix traffic lights. They can’t get it right. So, who’s to tell me this isn’t going to interrupt small businesses? Small businesses are running into enough problems as it is downtown.”
In its presentation, MDOT said construction along this stretch is needed due to the road’s age and condition.
Proposed design updates include greater pedestrian and bicycle lanes, streetscape enhancements, historical characteristics, and innovation.
Clarissa Grimes is a Corktown resident and a biker.
“Something I’m very passionate about is protected bike lanes throughout the city,” said Grimes. “So, any chance we get to have some protected bike lanes that are not only by visual but also by physical barriers is going to be really important to me.”
Among the design concept challenges drawing some in this crowd are construction plans calling for busting up historic brick pavers along Michigan in the CorktownMichigan in the Corktown area.
In its presentation, MDOT showed the selected design concept, which calls for repurposing salvaged brick pavers.
Alghurabi recognizes community members want more input and says this process is not over.
“We know there are some concerns like the bricks,” Alghurabi said. “We want to be able to have a dialog and discussion with the community about how to basically come up with a solution that everybody can live with.”
MDOT says no final decisions have yet been made about this construction project.
The project manager says they’ll take the input, regroup, and return to the community with updates.