As part of a sweeping plan that reimagines Detroit’s riverfront community from Rivard to Grand Boulevard, Jefferson Avenue is going on a “road diet” and getting bike lanes, parking and the actionable traffic lanes are going down from nine to five.
The announcement was made at an event revealing the East Riverfront master plan that was created in concert between the city of Detroit, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and through a series of public meetings with public feedback.
According to Detroit’s Planning Director Maurice Cox who was one of three main presenters at a meeting Wednesday night at the Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Adventure Center, Detroit ranks 50 out of 50 for pedestrian friendliness.
In the last five years, there have been 1,350 vehicle crashes on the aforementioned stretch of Jefferson Avenue, 39 pedestrian crashes and 9 fatalities from road-related incidents, according to Cox.
The idea behind the design is that development along the corridor would be dense enough to be served by mass transit as well as provide access for communities on the other side of Jefferson.
The Jefferson Avenue improvements will begin in 2017.
This is part of a stream of stories around the plans revealed for Detroit’s riverfront.
This is an awful idea.
Horrible idea if you live in Grosse Pointe and work downtown. Extending the existing Alter to Chalmers bottleneck is nothing more than a boondoggle. Bike lanes should be moved inland, perhaps along Kercheval and not impede a major commuter route. Let’s face it, I have never seen one cyclist during rush hour and we are prone to weather not friendly to cycling, so why tie-up an important commuter road? BTW I am an avid cyclist.