$8M Midtown Loop greenway project to break ground April 15

After seven long years developing plans, raising funds and negotiating easements, University Cultural Center Association (UCCA) is poised to break ground on the Midtown Loop greenway on April 15. The first phase, which runs .85 miles along Kirby between Cass and John R and then south along John R to Canfield, will be complete by October of this year. This fall, a short stretch of the mixed-use path that runs along Canfield between John R and Cass will begin construction and finally, the "loop" will be completed heading north along Cass back to Kirby in the summer of 2011.

Sue Mosey, president of UCCA, says the first phase links together several institutions, which will help generate users right off the bat. The path will link Wayne State University, Detroit Public Library Main Branch, Detroit Historical Society, Detroit Institute of Arts, College for Creative Studies, Detroit Science Center and Detroit Medical Center. "There are enough attractions, enough going on, for people to have an experience, which will encourage people to use it," she says.

The 12-foot-wide shared use trail removes a lane of street traffic along some stretches and makes use of easements along others. Amenities include bike storage lockers and racks, dog and human drinking fountains, dog waste stations, wayfinding signage, benches and LED pedestrian lighting. The plan makes use of the preponderance of mature trees along the route, but adds 5,000 perennials and grasses, 850 bushes and 200 trees along the route.

In all, the project has been worth the effort, says Mosey, who says it has evolved over the years. "It feels more like a pedestrian zone, more than just adding a wider sidewalk to a busy vehicular thruhway," she says. "It's going to be a culture shock, especially for drivers."

The entire two-mile project will cost $8 million and is funded by the Greenways Initiative of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Kresge Foundation, Michigan Department of Transportation, Federal stimulus funds, Michigan State University Land Policy Institute, First American Title Insurance Company and Woodward Avenue Action Association. The Ford Foundation has provided money towards the planning of Phase Three, which will connect the Loop to Eastern Market. That phase is anticipated to be built in 2012. A $1 million complementary public art plan also is being planned.

Source: Susan Mosey, UCCA
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh