Should we get rid of I-375?

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

I have a feeling that restoring a pleasant boulevard would slightly enhance the area around the new boulevard. But I shudder to think of how much it would cost, and what disruptions would occur during the unpredictable number of years it would take to build. All big projects have consequences, some of which aren't for the better.

Also, while the expressways may have whisked erstwhile Detroiters to the suburbs, tearing them out won't bring them back. I think we would be better off improving the streets and boulevards currently in existence in the area.

Lastly, it would certainly add time, if not an enormous amount, to commutes to downtown from the I-75 corridor. If I lived in Birmingham, the fact that it would take longer to get out of downtown would give me a little incentive NOT to stay downtown after work.

PS Thank you, Hermod for the info in your post.

[Cliffy]

I have a feeling that restoring a pleasant boulevard would slightly enhance the area around the new boulevard. But I shudder to think of how much it would cost, and what disruptions would occur during the unpredictable number of years it would take to build. All big projects have consequences, some of which aren't for the better.

Also, while the expressways may have whisked erstwhile Detroiters to the suburbs, tearing them out won't bring them back. I think we would be better off improving the streets and boulevards currently in existence in the area.

Lastly, it would certainly add time, if not an enormous amount, to commutes to downtown from the I-75 corridor. If I lived in Birmingham, the fact that it would take longer to get out of downtown would give me a little incentive NOT to stay downtown after work.

PS Thank you, Hermod for the info in your post.

Agreed. Filling in 375 will not bring anyone back and it would still be expensive. Filling in all that soil is not cheap. It would get rid of the bridges which would save money but you still have to maintain and construct a boulevard and I'm sure the boulevard will be 3 lanes in each direction. Too much traffic in that area during events. They need to worry about the crime and police and fire and everything else before we start proposing filling in 375.