Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was joined by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and local leaders to celebrate Michigan winning funding for the historic I-375 project. | Michigan.gov
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was joined by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and local leaders to celebrate Michigan winning funding for the historic I-375 project. | Michigan.gov
Detroit's I-375 modernization project will be spearheaded by a $105 million competitive federal grant.
According to a state government news release, Detroit leaders joined the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in making the announcement.
“I am excited for my home state of Michigan to receive this Department of Transportation grant to support major upgrades to I-375 while making our transportation system more resilient,” U.S. Rep. Brenda L. Lawrence, Michigan-14th District, said. “Over $104 million will be distributed to make significant improvements to the freeway, create good-paying jobs, and spur economic development in Detroit. We are ramping up investments in smart solutions to repair our roads and make communities more equitable for residents in my district and Michiganders at large.”
The project will replace the I-375 freeway with a boulevard that leaders believe will facilitate economic growth in a predominantly Black area of Detroit that was disrupted by the development of the interstate 60 years ago.
“In the 1950s, I-375 paved through two prosperous Black communities and displaced over 130,000 Michiganders and hundreds of businesses,” Whitmer said. “While we cannot change the past, we can work together to build a more just future, and that’s exactly what today’s grant empowers us to do. We fought hard to secure this funding to create a corridor of economic opportunity in Detroit and build on the city’s growing economic momentum.”
Whitmer adds that the state won funding for the project through a competitive process that would not be possible without the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Michigan Department of Transportation environmental review cleared the project and received community feedback earlier this year.
“Today’s announcement is about Detroit’s future,” Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II said. “The I-375 revitalization project will reconnect neighborhoods on both sides of the freeway and move us toward righting a past injustice. It also creates a new platform to grow our economy, creates opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and boosts accessibility for all Detroiters. It’s the latest sign – from the NFL Draft and the Joe Louis Greenway to Michigan Central Station – that Detroit is on the move. Gov. Whitmer and I will continue standing tall with Detroiters to accelerate our economy, create jobs and build prosperity in Detroit.”
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