I-75 could see 3 separate 'lids' along downtown freeway

[Airforceguy]

One or more "lids" on I-75 in downtown Detroit could offer a small outdoor event venue, walking trails, pop-up retail, farmers market space and more, project organizers said Tuesday evening.

In fact, three separate caps over the freeway could highlight different features of Detroit's history, display local art and connect residents and visitors to shopping and downtown events, planners shared during their final public meeting on a proposed I-75 "overbuild." The Michigan Department of Transportation, Downtown Detroit Partnership and the city of Detroit are still seeking feedback from the community on what each cap should encompass. At the end of the presentation Tuesday at the Michigan State University Detroit Center downtown, attendees were invited to engage with presenters and make notes on the proposal.

"This project is all about creating a community-led vision for what reconnecting the downtown to the lower Cass and Brush Park neighborhoods could look like," James Fidler, project manager and urban evolution strategist for the DDP, told Crain's. Five Detroit-area AECOM consultants are working on the overbuild project, according to Jeromie Windsor, a multi-modal transportation planner for the infrastructure consulting firm.

AECOM consultants considered cap options along I-75 between Third Avenue to the west to Brush Street to the east, in the vicinity of Ford Field, Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena. The first proposed cap, or the West Cap, could be located between Third and Grand River avenues or between Grand River and Second avenues.

The Central Cap would be built at Woodward Avenue.

Brush Park residents Kevin Wobbe and Ralph Scolari said Tuesday that they want to see that cap straddle Woodward, as a way to highlight Detroit's most significant byway, while providing space for residents and visitors to enjoy.

"It would be nice to have more of a community space for the people that live there already, in addition to all the people that come down for sporting events," Wobbe said.

The East Cap would be located between John R and Brush streets.

Each of three proposed caps would be 600-800 feet in length.

Scolari said that while he would prefer for the entire stretch of I-75 under consideration to be capped, he knows it's not plausible. Three separate caps, however, would ensure more neighborhoods are able to benefit from the park and community spaces.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/politi...etroit-freeway

[canuck]

Overbuild sounds about right for this project. Not sure why anyone wants to get out of their way to get to one of these caps or lids to experience a more connected city. What kind of build are they talking about? Do Pop-ups and exhibits necessitate that kind of infrastructure that captures noise and other pollutants when there are plenty more empty lots and buildings to rehab and fill. Why not spend money on enhancing the classics that have been overlooked and not waste time and resources on a silly overpass to "reconnect" parts of the community? No amount of love is going to turn a freeway overpass into a 21st century Ponte Vecchio.

[Honky Tonk]

Overbuild sounds about right for this project. Not sure why anyone wants to get out of their way to get to one of these caps or lids to experience a more connected city. What kind of build are they talking about? Do Pop-ups and exhibits necessitate that kind of infrastructure that captures noise and other pollutants when there are plenty more empty lots and buildings to rehab and fill. Why not spend money on enhancing the classics that have been overlooked and not waste time and resources on a silly overpass to "reconnect" parts of the community? No amount of love is going to turn a freeway overpass into a 21st century Ponte Vecchio.

Terrific post. I'm tired of having my tax dollars wasted on Sim Citty nonsense,

[southen]

In other cities where this has been done it has been wildly successful. I love Detroit but our downtown and downtown adjacent parks lack when compared to other cities. This connects parts of the city and creating more green space is never a bad idea. It leads to investment and all you have to do is look to Beacon Park if you want to see how a park, that some would say is very isolated, can become a community asset with great programming.

[Gistok]

^^ I agree with the concept. However... not until that sea of parking turns into buildings.

[K-slice]

I would be fully on board with this IF there were development going on in the immediate area. As it stands two of these caps will be sandwished between total dead zones created by the Ilitch family.

It's not like these will be utilized by residents of nearby buildings to enjoy the outdoors. Nor will they be used by office workes to eat luch or take a break... Because on nearly all sides they'll be surrounded by Ilitch parking garages and surface lots!

Make construction of these contingent on Ilitch actually developing the reasons for them to exist in the first place.

[canuck]

In other cities where this has been done it has been wildly successful. I love Detroit but our downtown and downtown adjacent parks lack when compared to other cities. This connects parts of the city and creating more green space is never a bad idea. It leads to investment and all you have to do is look to Beacon Park if you want to see how a park, that some would say is very isolated, can become a community asset with great programming.

Give us some samples. I’m curious.

[southen]

Give us some samples. I’m curious.

Clyde Warren Park in Dallas is the closest to what Detroit is trying to do. Freeway Park in Seattle is a really cool green space from a design perspective. You could probably toss the Big Dig in Boston on the list as well.

[southen]

The West Cap looks to capitalize on the University of Michigan Innovation Center and I have no doubt the "rumored" purchase by the University of the land adjacent to this cap played a part in prioritizing this option.

[canuck]

The West Cap looks to capitalize on the University of Michigan Innovation Center and I have no doubt the "rumored" purchase by the University of the land adjacent to this cap played a part in prioritizing this option.

What is ze cap supposed to be, zough?

[Satiricalivory]

Overbuild sounds about right for this project. Not sure why anyone wants to get out of their way to get to one of these caps or lids to experience a more connected city. What kind of build are they talking about? Do Pop-ups and exhibits necessitate that kind of infrastructure that captures noise and other pollutants when there are plenty more empty lots and buildings to rehab and fill. Why not spend money on enhancing the classics that have been overlooked and not waste time and resources on a silly overpass to "reconnect" parts of the community? No amount of love is going to turn a freeway overpass into a 21st century Ponte Vecchio.

This is irrelevant. Highway caps are about reconnecting central cities split by highways. Filling vacant lots and rehabbing buildings have nothing to do with this. And it's such a weird straw-man argument against something that would be objectively good for the city.

Also this would be funded with federal money, so hardly much of your personal tax dollars. If Detroit doesn't get it, it simply goes somewhere else outside the city and state. Which is bad for us if you really care about benefiting from your federal tax money.

[Honky Tonk]

Also this would be funded with federal money, so hardly much of your personal tax dollars.

You got Jokes! You mean Biden, Pelosi, and Obama will pony up with their own personal out-of-pocket cash to fund these caps? You do realize that "federal money" means it's taxpayers money?

[Zacha341]

^ Exactly!

[Jimaz]

[canuck]

This is irrelevant. Highway caps are about reconnecting central cities split by highways. Filling vacant lots and rehabbing buildings have nothing to do with this. And it's such a weird straw-man argument against something that would be objectively good for the city.

Also this would be funded with federal money, so hardly much of your personal tax dollars. If Detroit doesn't get it, it simply goes somewhere else outside the city and state. Which is bad for us if you really care about benefiting from your federal tax money.

Explain away how capping a highway overpass is going to connect neighborhoods with downtown. How much value will you get versus spending on rehabbing and building on vacant sites? These kinds of projects make sense if the density exists on both ends of an overpass maybe, but if both ends are disjointed to begin with, the outcome is a shot in the dark.

The overpasses serve a purpose, they are not the prettiest things around but does money need to be spent applying lipstick on a pig? I’m still not sure exactly what the project entails, though…

[ABetterDetroit]

Explain away how capping a highway overpass is going to connect neighborhoods with downtown. How much value will you get versus spending on rehabbing and building on vacant sites?

What is so hard about comprehending that Federal Highway Funds are not spent developing and building on vacant land? For or against the capping debate away, but pretending that the money CAN be spent on magic beans instead of Federal Highways is moronic.

[canuck]

What is so hard about comprehending that Federal Highway Funds are not spent developing and building on vacant land? For or against the capping debate away, but pretending that the money CAN be spent on magic beans instead of Federal Highways is moronic.

No, the moronic part is where you want to spend vast sums on something that is ineffectual, whatever the funding source.

[Satiricalivory]

You got Jokes! You mean Biden, Pelosi, and Obama will pony up with their own personal out-of-pocket cash to fund these caps? You do realize that "federal money" means it's taxpayers money?

Are you extremely stupid or just being purposely obtuse?

[Honky Tonk]

Are you extremely stupid or just being purposely obtuse?

I was hoping you were being "satirical" with your money comment, but I guess not. I may be "stupid" and "obtuse", but at least I know where the Federal Government gets it's money from.

[Richard]

What is so hard about comprehending that Federal Highway Funds are not spent developing and building on vacant land? For or against the capping debate away, but pretending that the money CAN be spent on magic beans instead of Federal Highways is moronic.

It’s from the same free pile of money being used for demolition,and it’s a use it or lose it situation.

But it’s a gamble,because if somebody wants to balance the federal budget,it can be clawed back,or the state can pay for it while waiting for a reimbursement that may never come.

But it’s not a case of do it because the feds are putting up the money,you still have to figure out how to pay to maintain it after it is built,it’s not a new concept so what those costs are easily searched.

So for each cap you have to figure out how you are going raise the additional millions for future repairs that the local taxpayers will be responsible for ?

Parks and green space cost money to maintain,Belle isle was given up because it was determined that the city could not afford the yearly maintenance costs moving forward.

What they should have done,because after that initial federal investment the local taxpayer does cover the maintenance costs,is present a short list of projects to the taxpayers to vote on with the understanding that they will see an increase in their taxes in the future.

Are you not kinda curious as to why the scope of this project was scaled back from its original sales pitch as an entire cap ?

Like others have mentioned,who exactly is going to benefit from over glorified pedestrian bridges that has zero to do with restoring the fabric of neighborhoods that are destroyed years ago when the highway was slammed through them?

Federal programs are designed for cities to use in a way that would provide the maximum benefit to the maximum amount of citizens for large projects that require a large investment that a city could not afford.

As presented now,fancy pedestrian bridges do not fall into that catagory,they do but as far as major infrastructure projects go,I would think replacing 200 year old water pipes would be more of a priority because then you do not have to pay interest on borrowing the money in the future to do it and you can take that savings and use it to build your pedestrian bridges .

Its just an example.

You are thinking to small when dealing with this when it is being presented now as it is,if it was cap the entire thing,remove the entire thing or blvd the entire thing it would be different but now as presented,one would think it has now dropped pretty low on the priority list.

I would say that would be up to the local taxpayers to decide,but apparently it is not.

[Genesyxx]

If there was a great need for additional space and connectivity, I'd be all for this, but you'd just be connecting parking lot to parking lot.

[mikeg19]

Kinda surprised to see so much backlash on the concept since this has been mentioned on this platform several times previously to a lot of fanfare. I think it would be great to see 75 capped in that section, something alike to Boston's Big Dig a couple decades ago that buried the I-93 freeway and opened up the entire area for parks/walking paths/public gathering places/etc. Smaller scale here but I' don't see negatives to it, I don't think the city will hand over the land to Illitch and Co for more parking spaces.

[Gistok]

I think that the backlash is more based on timing... as long as District Detroit remains a sea of parking... the whole reason to do this becomes a moot point. Once more buildings start going up making that area dense [if that ever happens under the Ilitches], then they should cap the freeway.

[Scottathew]

^^ I agree with the concept. However... not until that sea of parking turns into buildings.

That's how I feel too. The freeways damage connectivity, but so do the parking lots. The parking lots are a much LARGER issue.

We don't need to create more land in a place that already doesn't value it that high.

[401don]

That's how I feel too. The freeways damage connectivity, but so do the parking lots. The parking lots are a much LARGER issue.

We don't need to create more land in a place that already doesn't value it that high.

Not sure where it stands at the moment, but let's hope the proposed property tax changes will force some development or selling of lots to those who will.