Port Authority begins construction on terminal just west of RenCen

Another big chunk of the transformation of the Detroit Riverfront is now underway. The Detroit Wayne County Port Authority has broken ground on its dock and terminal building that will be situated between Hart Plaza and the Renaissance Center.

The two-story 21,000-square-foot facility will hold a tourist processing area, ticket counters, restrooms, the port authority’s office and a public plaza with space for educational interpretive exhibits on topics such as alternative energy and homeland security.

The main purpose for the enterprise is the ability for Detroit to host a variety of vessels that currently have no place to dock on the U.S. side of the river, including Great Lakes cruise ships and water taxis. The second phase of the project will include a docking wharf for this purpose.

Currently, old wooden piling is being removed. Structural steel should start going up in January and the building enclosure is expected to be complete in July.

The $15 million project is being funded with federal and state funds via Sen. Carl Levin and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Until site construction is complete — an estimate being May 1 — RiverWalk pedestrians and cyclists are being route along Atwater around the construction site. Directional signage has been installed.

A rendering of the building can be found here.

Source: John Kerr, Detroit Wayne County Port Authority, Steward Klaus, White Construction and Andrew Holewinski, Braun Construction
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh