- MDOT completed a planning study in 2022 that recommends a significantly improved Complete Streets design for two miles of Michigan Avenue in Corktown.
- This “Locally Acceptable Alternative” includes dedicated transit lanes, sidewalk-level bike lanes, shortened crosswalks, and a plan for reusing the historic bricks.
- With construction about to start, some are opposing this improved design through a “Save the Bricks” petition.
CALL TO ACTION! Add you voice at MDOT’s community meeting on Thursday, September 12th, 4:30-7pm at the Gaelic League of Detroit, 2068 Michigan Ave in Corktown. A presentation is scheduled for 5:30pm.
PEL Study
From 2019 to 2022, MDOT completed a Planning and Environmental Linkages study for redesigning Michigan Avenue in Corktown. This study included four community meetings, four meetings with local businesses & stakeholders, and three with the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO). It also invited public submissions for a redesigned Michigan Avenue using the Streetmix tool. Through this community engagement, the PEL produced a Purpose and Need Statement.
To create a corridor that promotes safe and equitable access to all forms of mobility and emerging technology along Michigan Avenue, while preserving the area’s unique character.
The study considered many street design alternatives that were then evaluated based on how well they met this statement. The evaluations along with additional community input led to a “Locally Acceptable Alternative” design.
All of this information is included in the study’s PEL report.
Completing this amount of community and stakeholder engagement and study makes projects more appealing for federal funding, which proved to be case here. Michigan Avenue was awarded a $25 million BUILD construction grant in 2022.
Save the Bricks?
This year, a Save the Bricks petition was promoted by the Corktown Business Association. “Join us in protecting our community’s heritage and ensuring transparency and proper planning.”
However, it was properly planned. Not only that, according to the PEL, MDOT met with the Cortown Business Association to discuss many of the issues raised in the petition, including saving the bricks.
Corktown Business Association (CBA) Meeting notes from PEL
The CBA shared particular concerns with the practical alternatives around removing mid-block left turns, maintaining brick street pavers, maintaining street parking, maintaining cultural events, and financial support to businesses during construction. These concerns were addressed through additional meetings. The mid-block left-turn removal concern was addressed through allowing for passenger vehicle u-turn movements at the signalized intersections. These u-turn movements are used in other center-running transit corridors across the country. The maintaining brick street pavers was not fully addressed through the placement of the new concrete brick pavers. CBA preference was for increased use of brick pavers in the roadway from Sixth Street all the way to Fourteenth Street. MDOT would not be able to fund and maintain the increased use of brick pavers in the roadway but would consider additional limits if the City of Detroit and a third party were willing to fund the construction and long-term maintenance of these additional improvements. Maintaining street parking was addressed through lane refinements that increased parking along the north side of the corridor and would keep the overall number of street parking spaces similar to existing. The concern about maintaining cultural events was addressed through the use of removable barriers between the dedicated transit lane and vehicle travel lanes. Cavnue would support temporary removal and replacement of the barriers so the entire eastbound direction of the corridor could be used for parades. The concern about financial support to businesses during construction was addressed by the City of Detroit through education on opportunities for self-funding solutions to support affected businesses and future support from the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. on best practices learned from recent city streetscape projects.
MDOT also met with the Corktown Historial Society to discuss the brick pavers.
Corktown Historical Society Meeting notes from PEL
The Corktown Historical Society was presented the locally acceptable alternative with additional context on public feedback from the community meetings and SHPO meetings related to the historic brick pavers. The reuse of the historic brick pavers outside the roadway was agreeable with suggestion of a potential continuous ribbon of brick behind the back of curb and potential reuse of broken bricks for local artists to use. The group preferred the use of more new brick pavers in the roadway throughout Corktown. There was comment that the approach to use in the historic districts near the east and west sides of the neighborhood would fragment the community. MDOT has limited resources to build and maintain the expensive brick infrastructure and will need to be strategic in where new pavers are placed in the roadway. The locations provide the historic look and feel at both ends of the neighborhood where the historic frontages remain mostly intact. Additional limits of brick pavers in the roadway would not be funded by the project but would be considered if there is city and stakeholder support to fund additional construction and long-term maintenance costs associated with the improvements.
Based on this feedback, the Locally Acceptable Alternative includes “new concrete brick road pavers in the historic districts, and historic brick pavers reused in extra sidewalk space throughout the corridor.”
This makes us wonder if this petition more about keeping vehicle four lanes. The petition incorrectly states that “Local businesses and residents were not consulted about reducing traffic lanes.”
We would note that the Avenue of Fashion underwent a similar and very successful road diet despite having 10,000 more daily vehicle trips than Michigan Avenue.
While some have expressed concerns about increased traffic, especially with the proposed soccer stadium, we ask how do we want to accommodate that traffic? Through better transit, biking, and walking or by just getting more people in cars?
