Make Michigan Ave. Safer

For the past 5 years, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) worked with residents of Corktown on a new design of Michigan Ave., with overwhelming consensus for fewer lanes, more pedestrian crossings, protected bike lanes, and wider sidewalks.

MDOT has proposed a reconstruction of Michigan Avenue in Corktown in 2025. Their design will translate to improved safety, accessibility, and walkability. Sadly, this project is under threat from business interests, based on perceived parking reductions and traffic congestion.

Michigan Department of Transportation

Strong Towns Detroit, a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group for stronger, resilient, and prosperous neighborhoods, supports several benefits of the project:

• Curb-protected bike lanes
• Safer crosswalks
• Wider sidewalks with more shade
• Outdoor seating for our Corktown restaurants
• New bus shelters and improved transit service
• Less traffic noise
• Slower traffic

Michigan Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Gaelic League (2068 Michigan Ave. Detroit, MI 48216), 4:30-7pm, with a presentation beginning at 5:30pm, to decide how the project might move forward. Strong Towns is organizing residents to attend the meeting and show their support of a safer Michigan Ave.

We also encourage Corktown Residents to fill out this survey, which will inform our City Councilwoman’s position on the project.

Sign-up below to get notified of updates on the public meeting and how you can support a safer re-construction of Michigan Ave.

The Current Proposal to Re-construct Michigan Ave.

The proposal includes a new lane configuration for Michigan Ave.:

• They are proposing widening the sidewalks to add more space for pedestrians, dedicated space for bicyclists, more trees, and outdoor seating.
• Reduce the number of car lanes from 4 to 2.
• Maintain most of the on-street parking with a loss of only 20 spaces.
• Will improve crosswalks to be safer, reduce crossing distances, and potentially include more midblock crosswalks.
• They will repurpose the bricks currently in-use that are in good condition somewhere else along Michigan Ave.
• Will add dedicated bus lanes to improve service.

Strong Towns Detroit is not affiliated with MDOT, nor is this our project. Rather, we urge residents to encourage MDOT to not kick this project down the road. As early as 2025, we can have shovels in the ground.

• Michigan Ave. is unsafe. Corktown’s 1.5-mile segment of Michigan Ave., from 2014-2023, has had 2,200 crashes, 160 injuries, 8 deaths.
• Michigan Avenue is overbuilt for the amount of traffic. According to MDOT, this reduction in lanes will not cause any significant increase in delays. This has been modeled into future the 2040s.
• This project will make Corktown feel even more like a destination and less like a traffic artery.
• It will be more pleasant to spend time in Corktown.
• This will reduce pollution in the area, improving quality of life for residents.
• Wider sidewalks and less road space means long-term savings for the city.
• Dedicated bus lanes and shelters will improve transit rider’s experience, which is vital as Detroit regrows it’s urban population.

Want to stay informed on this project?