Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.

One of the last brick roads in Detroit with a unique link to the city’s history is slated for a state-funded reconstruction project.

The $5.3 million project raises questions about preserving historic aspects of Virginia Park Street between Woodward Avenue and the Lodge Freeway. The 131-year-old brick street was distinctly scarred by military tanks during the 1967 uprising.

The east end of Virginia Park Street was once the site of the Algiers Motel, where white police officers murdered three Black teens during the riots. The ruts measure 7 inches deep in some places, enough to jostle cars that pass through the neighborhood.

Virginia Park Street, originally named Virginia Avenue, was the only road in the historic district paved in brick – the others were paved with cedar. The street was laid out in 1893. 

Jeff Cowin, former president of Virginia Park Historic District Block Club, said restoring the street has been years in the making. Like the road itself, the process has been bumpy.

Cowin credited Steve Waldrop, the current president and neighborhood homeowner since 1972, with first advocating to repair the road several years ago. Cowin said the city offered to pave over the bricks but residents held out in hopes that funding could be found for a historically accurate restoration.

Cowin helped organize his neighbors in 2022 to excavate brick pavers from Beaufait Street on Detroit’s east side and transport them to Virginia Park. Cowin has since stored 300,000 pounds of salvaged bricks in his backyard in anticipation of the street’s restoration.

Cowin moved to the neighborhood in 2010 and spent the last decade rehabilitating homes there. At times, he’s been frustrated with how newer residents have had an outsized voice when compared to “Black elders” who have long stewarded the neighborhood.

He hopes city planners will center the voices of residents who have lived there since the 60s.

“I look at it in terms of the value that belongs to Detroiters who never left, who are guardians of this value,” Cowin said. “The bricks here are some of the best made at any point in time. They were installed before cars (were invented). It’s held up better than more modern materials.”

Construction would start in spring 2025 and finish later that year.

The first of two public outreach meetings was held on Aug. 13 for residents to give input on the proposal and suggest how to preserve the bricks.

Plans call for reconstructing the roadway base, installing salvaged and new historic pavers, repairing sidewalks, sewer segments, driveway approaches and accessible ramps, plus adding new trees and lighting.

Jay Biernat, project manager for the Department of Public Works, said the Historic District Commission is also providing advice.

“This is a bit different than a lot of the streetscapes that we do, this is more of a historic road project and we’re trying to put it back the way we’re finding it, within historic parameters,” Biernat said. “One thing that we do not like to get in the habit of is coming in with a top down approach (where) people don’t have a say.”

The project is still in early days. City officials hope to finish 30% of the design process by November.

Federal funding passed from the state of Michigan to Detroit through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP).

State TAP funding helped develop the Dequindre Cut Greenway and Milliken State Park on the Detroit Riverwalk.

The project is within the New Center Area Historic District and Virginia Park Historic District, which were both established in 1982.

Cowin said traffic patterns in New Center have sent heavy trucks through the neighborhood, exacerbating the damage between Second and Third avenues. Track marks are noticeably deeper there. 

“The lack of oversight is what set us up for these (deep) ruts,” Cowin said. “It’s so bad that in the winter you slide sideways. It’s precarious driving.”

---

What’s new on Belle Isle?

There’s only a few weeks left to hop on the giant slide. Park officials said the slide will close after Labor Day weekend.

Recommendations from a highly anticipated study of mobility on the island are expected to be released in September.

The study has informed efforts this year to create new bicycle lanes, pedestrian crosswalks and efforts to slow down vehicle traffic. A two-way cycle track and new wayfinding signs are among future plans.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is planning additional traffic calming measures this fall.

Two proposals were submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to restore the historic boathouse. DNR officials are reviewing the proposals and will present them to the Detroit Yacht Club and Friends of Detroit Rowing.

New interpretive signs are being placed along a flatwoods trail allowing visitors to learn about bird migration patterns. The signs will include QR codes for smartphone users.

A large megaphone meant to amplify natural sounds on the island is being installed later this year. A team of students were paid through the city’s Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program to construct the wood device.

A permanent site for the megaphone has yet to be determined. It was funded by the Ralph J. Wilson Foundation and Atlantic Impact, a nonprofit organization.

---

Input needed on I-75 cap

A second community engagement session for a proposal to cover I-75 with new public spaces is planned for 6-8 p.m. Aug. 27 at the MSU Detroit Center.

The Downtown Detroit Partnership is hosting meetings to learn how residents feel about capping I-75 from Brush Street to 3rd Avenue.

The project would essentially turn the freeway into a tunnel covered by new real estate that could host parks, retail businesses and other uses.

Its being funded through a U.S. Department of Transportation initiative to reconnect communities that were historically segregated by transportation infrastructure decisions.

Two presentations are scheduled for 6:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. followed by an interactive community activity.

Validated parking is available at the SOMA Parking Garage located on Erskine, between John R and Woodward.

---

Thanks for keeping up with the notebook while City Council is on recess. The council is back in session during the first week of September. As always, my inbox is open. Let me know what I should be looking into.