The history of I-375, and all it displaced (Detroit's Black Bottom-Paradise Valley, where jazz and blues thrived in the 1940s and 1950s, hosting greats like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald regularly) is a long, twisted and wicked tale. There is growing talk of filling in the ditch and making it into a surface road. We are happy to hear it. Let's do it right and begin to develop the east side of downtown that does honor to the past and stimulates growth and prosperity for all in the future.
An excerpt:
"As it exists, 375 represents a barrier," said Faye Nelson, president and CEO of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy. "It separates the community east and west of Jefferson. We are really looking to gather with our chief stakeholders to have a conversation on whether this is the right time to evaluate 375, and what is the best approach to take with respect to this issue. Hopefully, we can come up with a solution on whether there will be any changes to the freeway, what they are, how they will be funded."
Sounds cautiously promising. Read more
here.
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