Public input sought as state eyes plan to upgrade I-375

The Michigan Department of Transportation is offering Detroit residents the rare opportunity to have their say on a project that would require public money and considerably change the face of downtown.

MDOT will hold its first public information meeting on possible changes coming for I-375 tonight. The meeting comes after a study determined something must be done with the more than 50-year-old freeway due to its poor condition and outdated design. MDOT, the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. (DEGC) and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (DRFC) collaborated to complete the study in 2014 and came up with the six possible alternatives described below. They include rebuilding I-375 as is or replacing it with a surface street that would better connect downtown with the riverfront area to the east.

Costs of the various proposals range from $40 million to $80 million. A spokesman with MDOT says the federal government would foot a portion of the bill because I-375 is, after all, an interstate.

Officials will gather input on the I-375 improvement plan tonight from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Eastern Market Shed 5 on 2934 Russell St. in Detroit.


ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: $60-70M
• Reconstructed mainline, service drives and bridges
• Improvements to southbound ramps at Monroe/Lafayette and Larned/East Jefferson

ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: $70-80M
• Reconstructed mainline, service drives and bridges
• Improvements to southbound ramps to Monroe/Lafayette and Larned/East Jefferson
• Improvements at Gratiot /Madison/St. Antoine intersection
• A riverfront connection from East Jefferson to Atwater with bike lanes and pedestrian improvements
• Bike lanes along northbound and southbound service drives
• Landscaped freeway slopes with storm water management
• Pedestrian improvements along service drives and on reconstructed bridges
• No residual land created for potential reuse
ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: $55-65M
• Reconstructed freeway shifted to the west (downtown side)
• New retaining wall for service drive in order to narrow freeway width
• Improvements to southbound off-ramp at Monroe/Lafayette
• Freeway transitions to surface street at Larned to eliminate the Jefferson curve and better serve the riverfront and south end of the corridor
• New riverfront connection from Jefferson to Atwater with bike lanes and shared use path.
• Northbound service drive converted to a two-way local street with bike lanes
• Shared use (bike/walk) path with storm water management between the new local street and the freeway.
• Pedestrian improvements along service drives, ramps and new at-grade streets
• Potential property for reuse along the south side of Jefferson Avenue (approximately 2 acres)

ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: $40-50M
• Freeway transitions to surface street at Clinton; reconstructed as a surface roadway southerly; Alignment shifted to the east (neighborhood side)
• Southbound service drive eliminated; function replaced by new surface street
• Riverfront connection from Jefferson Ave. to Atwater St. with shared use path
• Pedestrian improvements along new boulevard streets
• Shared-use path along the east, neighborhood side
• Potential property for reuse along the west side of the I-375 corridor and south side of Jefferson Avenue (approximately 9.3 acres)
ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: $45-55M
• Freeway transitions to a surface street at Clinton where it is reconstructed as a boulevard, replacing the southbound service drive; Alignment shifted to the west (downtown) side
• Northbound service drive converted to a two-way local street with bike lanes
• Riverfront connection from East Jefferson to Atwater with bike lanes
• Pedestrian improvements along new boulevard
• Potential property for reuse along east side of corridor between boulevard and local street, and along the south side of East Jefferson (approximately 8.5 acres)
ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: $40-50M
• Freeway replaced with two one-way roadways beginning at Clinton and shifted to the service drive alignments
• Temporary or permanent conversion of below grade space to multi-use trail
• Riverfront connection from East Jefferson to Atwater with shared use path
• Pedestrian improvements along new surface street
• Buffered bike lanes on one-way roadways
• Potential property for reuse between the northbound and southbound roadways, and on the south side of Jefferson Avenue (approximately 11.6 acres)