Everyone has thoughts on the I-375 redesign project. 

Additional changes to roadway redesigns, protections for businesses disrupted by construction, and opportunities to add housing and improve public spaces east of downtown are among a set of new recommendations offered by the Downtown Detroit Partnership this week. 

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been working on a plan to reconfigure the Gratiot interchange of I-375 and convert the sunken freeway into a street-level boulevard that better connects the city’s core to adjacent neighborhoods. The DDP, a nonprofit association of businesses and downtown stakeholders, received grant funding from the Kresge Foundation to develop a “peer review” of the plan.

“Our intent is that the work we’ve done over the last year, and the coordination we’ve had with our partners, results in a guide that delivers a better outcome,” said Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership. “Any situation of this magnitude with as many touch points as this does will never be perfect in everyone’s eyes. But we’ve tried to provide some alternatives and paths forward.” 

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It acknowledges pushback from an organized group of residents who asked the mayor and Michigan governor to put the project on ice. Olga Stella, a Lafayette Park resident and organizer with the ReThink I-375 Community Coalition, said the peer review aligns with concerns raised by residents and business owners.

“What I see in the plan is simplifying the design of the interchange, prioritizing pedestrian-friendly enhancements and truly considering land use in the design,” Stella said. “These are all things that as a coalition we have been advocating for.”

The stakes are high. Construction of I-375 capped more than a decade of city-led and federally-funded displacement from the 1950s and 60s that cleared out historic Black-majority neighborhoods. An estimated 43,000 residents were forced to move, 70% of whom were Black, plus 350 businesses.

Reconfiguring I-375 half a century later could majorly impact 2,000 surrounding businesses. The DDP report estimates businesses could lose $1 billion to $2 billion in sales revenue, potentially closing 3-8% of companies.

“The original project destroyed a business district; it would be tragic to do it again,” Stella said. “The first set of concerns is getting this project on the right track and calling attention to design issues but there are many more issues that still need to be addressed.” 

Residents in adjacent neighborhoods also worry the project will fall short of its promises to reconnect them to other parts of the city, create safe pedestrian and non-motorized routes, create new inviting public spaces, and address historic harms. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation is supplying roughly a third of the funding through a $105 million grant. The total cost is estimated at around $300 million. 

Construction is expected to start in fall 2025 and finish around 2028. The design has not been finalized and can be influenced by public feedback, according to MDOT. 

The city of Detroit will soon hold the first of many meetings on how 30 acres of new real estate formerly taken up by the freeway should be used. City officials will collect feedback from residents from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 at The Eastern.

The city’s “framework plan” is part of a sequential planning process, like a series of Russian nesting dolls looking at different aspects of the project one by one. The DDP aimed to look at the project as a whole, taking on the road design, land use and community enhancements all at once.

The DDP recommended more revisions to the roadway and interchange design. One of the more significant changes calls for straddling two-way roads along a wide swath of land, separating two routes for better circulation between I-75 and Jefferson Avenue.

The DDP offered several strategies to help businesses affected by the multi-year construction. Various types of financial assistance are recommended to cover revenue losses, temporarily relocate businesses, improve signage and business facades, and provide transit passes and free parking for patrons, among other things. 

Trucks that haul materials should avoid neighborhoods, according to the report. State and local partners should also reconfigure bus routes. MDOT should also create a vibration monitoring program to prevent damage to sensitive structures. 

MDOT should also maintain access to Greektown Casino, Blue Cross Blue Shield offices, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and stadiums throughout construction. 

The DDP provided three land use scenarios that emphasize different goals. One scenario aims to replace housing lost in Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods, another would strengthen entertainment and cultural sites, while the third would create a recreation and festival campus. 

Land opened up by the project will be owned by MDOT. 

Recommendations call for creating a “cultural heritage plan” and supporting the expansion of Black businesses, land ownership and housing opportunities. Downtown Detroit’s population is growing faster than the city overall, but there are 200 fewer Black households since 2017. 

In the last decade, the number of households earning over $150,000 grew five times over while households making below $35,000 dropped by 20%. 

Communities adjacent to highways are subjected to constant high-speed, high-volume traffic that creates air pollution, safety problems and highway-centric land development. 

Adjacent neighborhoods also deal with high-speed drivers on local streets, causing safety issues for pedestrians and an overall “negative sense of place.”

Stella said members of the community coalition had productive meetings with representatives from the mayor’s office and MDOT about the lack of trust and better opportunities for community engagement. 

“We continue to be concerned about the time frame,” Stella said. “They are insistent that construction starts next fall, so there’s a lot of work to do.”