West Riverfront access blocked

The paths along the West Riverfront [[west of Riverfront Towers) from W Jefferson & Eigth Street to Rosa Parks have been recently fenced-up "by order of the Coast Guard", according to the signs. This really ticks me off. For one thing, there is absolutely nothing there, at all. It's a bunch of vacant lots & an asphalt path along the breakwall. Totally harmless. Lots of fishermen and families down there. I love to ride my bike from Corktown. It's beat up & needs an cleanup but otherwise it is used and a great way to access the River if you live on the west side and don't want to make the haul to East Riverfront.

So, what gives? Anyone know why the city/Coast Guard found it necessary to spend thousands of dollars building a brand new fence to close a pedestrian walkway along a totally empty part of the river?

That is the staging area for loading and setting up the fireworks barges. I'm not sure if that's a permanent closure, but I'm sure that's why it was closed to begin with.

Yeah they blocked off 8th street enterance a couple weeks ago, but 12th street entrance was still open[[or had been liberated by the public). 8th street entrance was open Friday night but that new fence gate was still closed. It's beat up but the railing is intact, there's a few sinkholes that need to be filled in.

Rode from the Rosa Parks end last night. The path is blocked by a solid gate near the 8th street end so there is no riding through.

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Originally Posted by corktownmum

Rode from the Rosa Parks end last night. The path is blocked by a solid gate near the 8th street end so there is no riding through.

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Maybe it's because of all the trash that the lazy people throw all over that stretch of the riverfront. I'd close it to until people can stop acting like savages.

Russix said something about sink holes. is it possible that there's a danger of a collapse of the sea wall, or maybe the river has been carving caves into old factory basements?
kinda sounds stupid, but water can do some crazy stuff when it finds a path it likes.

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Originally Posted by Magnatomicflux

kinda sounds stupid, but water can do some crazy stuff when it finds a path it likes.

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That's cuz water takes the path of least resistance [[Geology 101)

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Originally Posted by buildingsofdetroit

Maybe it's because of all the trash that the lazy people throw all over that stretch of the riverfront. I'd close it to until people can stop acting like savages.

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Yeah those damn suburbanites coming into the city and throwing trash everywhere!

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Originally Posted by detroitsgwenivere

That's cuz water takes the path of least resistance [[Geology 101)

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I was just throwin' that out there. Never did pick me up onea them geneio-olgy books :rolleyes:
lol....I was actually just reffering to the idea of the water getting into old basements as sounding stupid....which it does ;)

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/2...3799979742.jpg

Just inside the fenced off area one can see a large hole in the path.

This has been my favorite spot to view the fireworks the last couple decades or so, because if you walked far enough toward the Riverfront Apts from 12th, there were no lights and fewer people and you could hang out along the railing, dangle your feed over the edge and have a great view.

Until last year. After the Free Press dist. center was torn down, alot of people had hopes that this was to become more people friendly as the west riverfront goes. Instead, there was trash absolutely everywhere, and the grass hadn't been cut all year. It was embarrassing to say the least, especially considering it is on the riverfront. One more reason how this town doesn't have its shit together.

Coast Guard probably shut this down for liability issues.

Any word on when the street will be done by the Rivard Plaza parking lot?

Atwater will be done when hell freezes over.