Cap project over I-75 could reconnect key parts of downtown
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A concept for the central cap park along Woodward Avenue. Renderings: Courtesy of Downtown Detroit Partnership
A freeway cap project is proposed for I-75 to allow pedestrians to stroll between downtown Detroit and the arena district or Brush Park neighborhood.
Why it matters: Building walkable covers over I-75 would piece together segments of the city divided by the depressed highway, and create more usable public space.
State of play: The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) is leading the planning effort alongside the Michigan Department of Transportation and the city.
- The DDP will share more details about the project, explain its necessity and answer public questions during a virtual meeting 5:30-6:30pm Thursday.
Zoom in: The DDP is studying a section of I-75 just north of the downtown core, between 3rd Avenue and Brush Street.
- A tentative plan with three caps over the highway, each filled with public park space, came out of community engagement sessions last year, DDP urban evolution strategist James Fidler tells Axios.
Between the lines: Global infrastructure firm AECOM is starting a yearlong study to assess the project's feasibility, using a $2 million federal grant.
- AECOM previously helped rebuild a highway cap in Oak Park, according to the DDP.
What's next: The DDP expects to finalize construction engineering in 2026 or 2027, and start construction in 2028 at the earliest.
- The feasibility study will include a better idea of cost estimates. Funding will likely be a mix of federal, state, local and private dollars.
Plus: This is a separate segment of I-75 from the recently paused I-375 project that would have rebuilt a section of highway leading to the riverfront east of the central business district.