Residents raise concerns about $300 million redesign of I-375 in Detroit

DETROIT – The city of Detroit and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) want to rehabilitate I-375 for $300 million.

They have the necessary resources and are currently developing the final plan for the redesign.

They have agreed to fill I-375 and raise it to street level to turn it into a boulevard.

“The benefits are so numerous. We are developing over 30 acres of land and we want to hear the opinion of the communities. Do you want green space, affordable housing, a small business incubator for all of that?” said Rob Morosi of MDOT.

MDOT and Detroit have held 50 citizen engagement sessions so far and are revising the plans based on the feedback received.

Nothing is final yet, but they are facing considerable opposition from those who live and work in the Lafayette Park area.

“I don’t think any of us are trying to stop the project,” said Olga Stella. “We want a better result because we will have to live with this for 50 to 75 years.”

They are concerned about the design not yet being finalized and the traffic that will cause them problems once construction begins.

The renovation is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2025 and take two years to complete.