A decade-old plan to elevate a below-grade segment of Interstate 375 and replace it with a lower-speed boulevard could begin two years ahead of schedule thanks to USDOT funding.

Detroit’s plan to remove a portion of the I-375 freeway received a boost from the federal government with a $104 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, part of a broader federal endeavor to remedy the impacts of freeways and urban renewal on neighborhoods around the country. Notably, the grant was not awarded from the Reconnecting Communities Act, but from USDOT’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program.
According to a Detroit News article by Melissa Nann Burke and Riley Beggin, “The grant is a significant boon for the proposal, which dates to 2013 and envisions a walkable, leafy concourse integrated with the community and lined with shops, restaurants, homes and pedestrians on the eastern of edge of downtown Detroit.”
The effort is expected to cost $300 million and be completed by 2030. “The project, which already has environmental approvals from the Federal Highway Administration, would raise the roadway by 20 feet to street level, integrate it with cross-streets and landscape a boulevard past Jefferson Avenue down to Atwater Street.”
The freeway removal encompasses other projects including traffic calming measures, the removal of fifteen bridges, and new signalized crosswalks and bike lanes.
FULL STORY: Michigan gets $105M grant from feds to turn I-375 in Detroit into boulevard

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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