Detroit envisions elevated park atop I-75 in the heart of downtown
(CBS DETROIT) – Imagine watching a concert or meeting up with friends on top of I-75 in Downtown Detroit; it could be a reality in the near future as the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) is studying the idea of putting a park above the roadway.
"I-75, the way that it dissects between the core of the Downtown and Midtown, has always been a bit of an impediment," Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, said.
Currently, overpasses are the only way residents and visitors can connect between the two areas. Under the proposal, at least five acres of green space would go between Cass Avenue and Brush Street, hiding the roadway below.
"If you think about the fact that we have all four major sports teams playing within a two-block radius, unlike anywhere in the U.S., you have the strength of what's happening in the core of downtown, the strength of what's happening in Midtown and beyond. Now, you're gonna have this centerpiece," Eric Larson said.
The study is being funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation—the first of its kind for a nonprofit.
"What this allows us to do is do the planning, get the project so that it is really shovel ready, go back to the federal government with a plan that the community is really behind," Larson said.
The concept of a park on top of a roadway was unique in 1988 when Victoria Park was designed in Oak Park above I-696.
But now they're popping up all over the country.
In Dallas, Kylde Warren Park sits over a major freeway; it took three years to build and cost $110 million. Each year, it hosts about 1,300 events for the community.
Back here at home, what do the locals think about the idea?
"That's just time wasted. They got to finish the freeways first," Phillip Watson, a Detroit resident, said.
"It would probably bring in a lot more people from out of town to come to check it out, and they're already building stuff out here. So I think it would be a better expansion for them," Cameron Lambert, a Midtown Detroit resident, said.
DDP is hopeful they can start submitting the paperwork to the federal government for construction funding by the end of this year.
"It's accurate to say that a park should be coming to that area, and we're going to do everything we can both in terms of the partnership as well as our public partners to investigate what is ultimately the best opportunity and has the highest value," Larson said.