More Streetscapes coming, along with improved DDOT

[French777]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...FREE/904099962


• The city of Detroit, in coordination with the Downtown Development Authority, will streetscape Monroe Street from St. Antoine Street to Randolph Street, and Brush Street from Lafayette Boulevard to Gratiot Avenue in Greektown. Streetscape elements include decorative and scored sidewalks, new streetlights, bike racks, trash cans and trees. Cost: $1,525,000 [[stimulus).

• MDOT, in coordination with the city of Hamtramck, will plant landscaping and construct an ornamental fence along MDOT right of way on I-75. This project will greatly improve the visual impact of the freeway, and along with bridge rehabilitation work, will help to designate Hamtramck as a City of Promise. Cost: $655,000 [[stimulus).

• The city of Detroit, in cooperation with the University Cultural Center Association and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, will build a pedestrian/bike path in the University Cultural Center area. This is the first phase of a four-phase project known as the Midtown Detroit Greenway Loop to connect Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center campuses to surrounding areas. Phase one construction will occur along Kirby Street [[from Cass Avenue to John R Street) and John R from Kirby to Canfield streets and include construction of the pathway. Project elements include benches, bike racks and storage lockers, pedestrian lighting, landscaping and trash cans. Cost: $2.3 million [[stimulus).

• MDOT, in coordination with the city of Detroit, and the New Center Council will construct a streetscape project on Woodward Avenue, from I-94 to Baltimore Street and then from West Grand Boulevard to Euclid Street. Streetscape elements will include trees with decorative grates, historic lighting, benches, trash receptacles and bike racks. Cost: $1,985,310 [[stimulus).

The Detroit Department of Transportation will install bike racks on all buses in service. Cost: $680,110, including $528,718 in federal transportation enhancement funds and $151,392 from DDOT.

[Rocko]

Awesome, let's make it happen!

I still can't wait for the announcement about streetscape and other improvements coming to Capitol Park once the DDOT center moves on out of there.

[Novine]

Detroit has choices, it can invest in the city or it can squander money on demolition. Which choice is going to have the best long-term return?

[irish_mafia]

tarring and feathering the city council and dumping them at the border of Ohio...oh was that not an option?

[Gistok]

OK... I have some questions...

First of all I am in favor of these street improvements.... but what differentiates many of these improvements with those failed improvements of the 1970's?

That was when they put the proverbial "lipstick on a pig".... with improvements such as planters along the E. Jefferson/Chalmers area... plexiglass canopies over McNichols near Wyoming and Woodward near Grand Blvd..... and the most infamous "improvements" of all... the red tinker toys, trolleys, cement fountain and streetscapes along Washington Blvd.

What has been learned about street improvements since then?

Like I said, I'm in favor of these, but what differs these from the failed improvements of the past?

[DLife]

I think new sidewalks will make the city more walkable, safer, and inviting. I also read somewhere that Greektown will get new lighting, sidewalks, trees, and garbage receptables in one of the stimulas plans.

[Funaho]

What I'd like to see is some streetscaping along W. Vernor, from roughly St. Anne to Livernois. There's already a lot of nice little businesses along that stretch but the sidewalks are a mess, the street is already cracking and half the street lights don't even stand up straight anymore. They should also make the parking lane they striped in a while back permanent similar to Michigan Ave. through Dearborn, with the nice wide sidewalks.

[Rocko]

From Model D today:

Detroit Development News


April 14, 2009
Fed stimulus to bring $1.5M to Greektown, $1.7M to Michigan Ave. for streetscaping


Michigan Avenue from Campus Martius to Cass will receive a $1.7 million facelift courtesy of federal stimulus funds. The project will consist of a complete roadbed reconstruction and new sidewalks and streetlights.

The finished product will look like the streetscape that fronts the Westin Book Cadillac, says project manager Malik Goodwin of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. In some areas, the sidewalk will be widened, he says, "to allow for more pedestrian flow and sidewalk cafes for ground floor retailers."

Goodwin says the agency will pursue funding to take the improvements west to the Lodge Freeway. He hopes to see construction on this first phase begin this summer. The local match money for the project was provided by Downtown Development Authority TIF [[tax increment financing) funds.

Additionally, two main stretches of Greektown streets will be similarly enhanced with $1.5 million of stimulus funds, working with the City of Detroit. Decorative and scored sidewalks, new streetlights, bike racks, trash receptacles and trees will be installed on Monroe St. from St. Antoine St. to Randolph St., and Brush St. from Lafayette Blvd. to Gratiot Ave.

Read about additional transportation funds being made available to Detroit here.

Source: Malik Goodwin, DEGC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

http://www.modeldmedia.com/developme...iave18709.aspx

[French777]

From Model D today:

http://www.modeldmedia.com/developme...iave18709.aspx

When it mentions the Streetscapes infront of the Westin. . .Do they mean the cool looking historic lights?

[Rocko]

Yes, French, I believe so. Those are double Bishop lights, and the city has been installing them on most of their streetscape renovation projects for the past 4-5 years. The best part is, those are a modern remake of a very historic Detroit streetlight design, the originals date back a full 100 years, and many of the old ones are still visible on side streets and even some main streets in the older parts of Detroit. These new remakes are constructed differently than the originals, yet the exterior looks almost identical and they are very faithful to the oldies in outer appearence. There was a great thread on the old forums called Historic Streetlights in the City which has more information about these types, if you're interested. It is linked: http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/5/172705.html?. Both archive pages and the last page are a treasure trove of history and photos.

Ironically, while most of the streetlights currently along that portion of Michigan Ave. are rather new [[post 1960s), I believe there are a few poles mixed in which date from the 1920s. Although the lamp fixtures and arms are newer, the poles themselves are almost as old as the original Bishop types. These old poles are distinct with their ornate base, pole fluting, and some still sport the original pineapple finial at the top. I'll have to go down and take a close look sometime before this project gets going to see for sure. I know a few of these old poles survive on the stretch just west of this area on Michigan - at the 1st St. intersection, and between there and the Lodge bridge.

>>>Rocko, formerly BusterWMU, looking for elements of streetscapes past!

[Rocko]

Russix - I thought of your comment when I saw today a streetsweeper in Detroit sweeping in action!! The Belle Isle bridge is nicely swept now

I drove down that stretch of Michigan Avenue between Campus Martius and Cass today to see if I could identify some of those old early-20th Century streetlight poles still in action. I noted four or five still in service. These are really old poles, but have been fitted with modern "cobrahead" streetlights to match the newer installations. All are painted up in that nice hunter green common to downtown streetlights... I really like how those green ones look. Anyhow, I noted 4-5 of these old poles in this stretch, and at least 8-12 more west of Cass between Cass and the end of the other streetscape improvement project west of the Lodge. The locations I specifically noted along this stretch were two in front of 1001 Woodward on the Michigan Ave. side, 1 at the corner of Mich & Shelby, and 1-2 at the intersection of Michigan and Cass.

Interestingly, there are actually two old types represented here, something I have not realized up until just today. I'm going to do some photo hunting and try to crop them down so I can clearly articulate and show what I mean, on the off chance anyone else out there cares!