DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit's I-375 construction project is set to resume after being paused for several months due to community concerns about the original design.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report:
The Michigan Department of Transportation postponed the I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project that was scheduled to begin construction this fall. The project aims to transform the nation's shortest highway into a street-level boulevard.
MDOT decided to pause plans due to community pushback about the specific redesign plan. On Thursday, the department unveiled a new rendering of the boulevard design that addresses many resident concerns.
"My very first reaction was this is big, this is transformative," said Dr. Rebecca Chung, a Detroit resident who lives in the Lafayette Park neighborhood near I-375.
When the freeway was originally constructed in the 1960s, neighborhoods and residents were displaced.
MDOT hopes this project will update the freeway's aging infrastructure while also bringing some restorative justice.
"I also want the community to feel made whole because this piece of real estate seized, remade and redeveloped for over a century," Chung said.
In August, MDOT paused the I-375 project to reevaluate how to move forward in a way that is more community oriented. The project faced pushback from residents regarding the original design of the boulevard from Jefferson to Gratiot avenues.
"I didn't think it was walkable and many of my neighbors pointed out well, these intersections aren't safe for people to cross," Chung said.
Some residents also expressed concern that the project would leave the area in a long-standing construction zone.
"The entire area would be covered with dust and construction traffic for years," Chung said.
Rob Morosi, a spokesperson for MDOT, said the new design is smaller and construction will be broken up into phases.
"So, what we're looking at is a phased approach to build a boulevard south of Gratiot Avenue, north of Gratiot and into the interchange will be, we'll look at that at a later date as funding becomes available, but right now, our focus more so is south of Gratiot down to Woodbridge," Morosi said.
Hear more from Rob Morosi in the video player below:
Chung said she feels like residents were listened to in the redesign process.
"I feel like they heard us finally. I'm very proud of the people in Lafayette Park and people this side of the city who organized," Chung said.
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