ReThink I-375 coalition releases list of “action points” for MDOT

ReThink I-375, a Coalition of Community Voices Challenge of The I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project released a list of 11 action points on Tuesday, addressed to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and other government officials.

The list also included suggestions for revising the project in terms of design and construction to ensure positive impacts for local residents.

At the heart of their criticism is the fact that the road is being planned largely without community input. The coalition proposes to reverse engineer the I-375 corridor by starting with the needs of surrounding businesses and communities and then moving on to planning and building the road.

Poor redesign could have a detrimental impact on the neighborhood, the coalition says, pointing out that a lack of community involvement during the original construction of I-375 in the early 1960s led to the destruction and displacement of two historically black neighborhoods – Black Bottom and Paradise Valley.

Today on Created equalModerator Stephen Henderson spoke with Melanie Markowicz and Kimle Nailer, two members of the coalition, about the group’s action points and the state’s response so far.

Subscribe to something Created equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Guests

Melanie Markowicz is executive director of the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership. As an urban planner, she is concerned that MDOT is prioritizing road construction over the future vitality of the community.

“Who are we doing this for? Because it doesn’t feel like we’re increasing pedestrian safety or cyclist safety. It doesn’t feel like we’re creating a connection, and it feels like we’re actually creating a bigger divide,” she said. “So we certainly have issues with the design itself, but also the lack of construction threatens the survival of these historic neighborhoods and that cultural identity.”

Kimle-Nagler is president of Nail-Rite Construction Company. She says creating designs that incorporate input from customers is critical to a company’s success.

“Ultimately, it seemed like MDOT was creating as much land as possible without thinking about how they would completely bypass the businesses,” she said. “(They) would be completely cut off (and) their traffic flow would be eliminated – which means the businesses would be eliminated at the same time.”

Listen Created equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and Streaming on demand.