Frequently Asked Questions
Clarifying the Project: Your Questions, Our Answers
What is the 375 project?
Located in the city of Detroit, 375 is a 1-mile-long freeway that connects the I-75 freeway directly to Jefferson Avenue. Through the 375 Project, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) plans to transform the 375 freeway, into a grade-level boulevard with signalized intersections. There will also be a new interchange design at I-75 for access to the new boulevard, and a short segment of I-75 freeway will be realigned.
The purpose of the Project is to address the outdated interchange design and deteriorated bridges and roadways to meet existing and future transportation needs and roadway safety for all users. The project will improve connectivity to the surrounding areas for both non-motorized and vehicular users. The project will also enhance access to enable future development and placemaking opportunities.
How does the project benefit the community?
The Project benefits include the following:
- Better connectivity between downtown, the Riverfront, Greektown, the Eastern Market, stadium district, theater district, and the surrounding neighborhoods.
- Multimodal facilities including wide sidewalks, median islands and buffered sidewalks.
- Increased amount of street crossings from the neighborhoods on the east to downtown on the west side of the boulevard.
- Address traffic congestion and minimize potential for crashes.
- Enhanced connections to existing transit services.
- Pedestrian ramps, crosswalks, and street crossings will be upgraded to be accessible for all people.
- The boulevard allows for routine maintenance to have less impact on the community.
- The new potential excess land provides more value to the community and creates opportunities for the project to have a restorative impact.
- New bicycle routes, including protected two-way tracks along:
- The new 375 boulevard connecting the Riverfront to Gratiot and Montcalm Street.
- Montcalm Street extending from Brush Street to Gratiot Avenue, connecting to the Dequindre Cut.
- An upgraded interchange design will be brought to current standards for getting traffic on and off I-75 safely within the project footprint.
- Provides contract and workforce development opportunities for small and local businesses.
Additional benefits from the Project will be outlined in the Community Enhancements Plan, Land Use Framework Plan, and Aesthetic Design Guide.
How do get I involved in the project?
There are many ways to participate. The most effective is in-person participation and/or online public meetings and comment periods. Opportunities to engage will be listed online at Michigan.gov/I375. Postcards to residents and businesses 1-mile out from 375, press releases, social media, and other notifications will be used to inform the public about meetings. To stay informed, subscribe to the email distribution list at bit.ly/I375-subscribe. Provide a comment online at bit.ly/I375Comment or email MDOT-I-375corridor@Michigan.gov.
What is the current project status?
The Project is currently in early design.
Items already studied and completed during the environmental review include:
- Defining the Purpose and Need of the Project.
- Evaluating and choosing an Alternative in the Environmental Assessment.
- Selecting the Preferred Alternative in the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
- Updates to the Preferred Alternative to become the Design Alternative post-FONSI
Items to be studied and completed before construction:
- Creating policies and procedures based on the Neighborhood Framework and Community Enhancements Plan.
- Developing scenarios for traffic operations during construction that will be implemented to minimize impacts on local businesses. A traffic management plan will also be created for special events in the theater and stadium district.
- Develop a construction mitigation plan to support businesses during construction and minimize impacts.
How is the project being funded?
The full construction cost is approximately $400 million. In September 2022, the USDOT awarded MDOT an INFRA Grant of $104.6 million to fund the project's construction. The additional cost will be allocated from state funding streams. MDOT plans to continue to work with the Legislature and local partners on additional funding opportunities to alleviate the cost burden on the state.
How can I participate in the design process?
Early design for the Project started in 2022 and will include public meetings scheduled throughout 2025 for the public to participate in. MDOT will seek public input through early, and final design on enhancements and refinements to the Selected Alternative identified in the environmental phase.
The Selected Alternative is a conceptual design based on the capacity of the new Boulevard's location to handle current and future traffic. It is the responsibility of MDOT and FHWA to assure that the mitigation and enhancement measures committed in the FONSI are carried out.
What is the project timeline?
MDOT started the early design of the Selected Alternative in September 2022. Early design is 30% completion that defines alignment of road and footprint of impacts. Early design is estimated to be completed in 2024, when final design begins. The final design works to refine the early design, including all details such as 3D model, final grading, traffic operations during construction, traffic signals, pavement marking, signage, and utilities. After final design is completed in 2025, construction will begin and last through 2028. The process and feedback will dictate the timeline of the overall project schedule and readiness for construction.
How is the history of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley being acknowledged?
FHWA and MDOT fully acknowledge the role previous governmental policies had in the destruction of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods. The FONSI has a mitigation effort that will create a Community Enhancements Plan. This plan will provide specific initiatives that acknowledge the historic social and environmental effects of the original construction of 375.
MDOT intends for the enhancements to be community-based and developed through the Neighborhood Framework process that will actively engage the community. This acknowledgment may take many forms, but its content and delivery must be determined by the community.
Such acknowledgments and commemorations could include, Ways to address historic social equity, economic, and environmental impacts, and engage the potential partners to address and implement the follow-up actions. The actions may include affordable housing, minority-owned business incubation and participation, placemaking, historic markers or memorials, and other relevant actions.
What is the Community Enhancements Plan?
The Community Enhancements Plan is a part of the Neighborhood Framework. The Community Enhancements Plan will be developed with the LAC and will identify ways to address historic social equity, economic, and environmental impacts, and engage potential partners to address and implement follow-up actions. These actions may include:
- Affordable housing, minority-owned business incubation and participation, placemaking, historic markers or memorials, and other relevant actions; and
- Identify potential partners that have the expertise and ability to implement and administer additional community enhancements.
- The value of the excess property is to be used for the community enhancements.
What is the Neighborhood Framework?
The city of Detroit in coordination with MDOT is leading the development of the Neighborhood Framework that will document the community’s vision and goals for the future development of the neighborhoods that the project will serve. To get involved in the Neighborhood Framework process participate in Community Meetings and submit comments to the project team. Visit the Community Calendar or the city of Detroit’s website, detroitmi.gov/i375, for meeting dates. You can also submit a comment through this website.
The Framework is a process that helps us:
- Imagine the things that a healthy and beautiful neighborhoods needs,
- Discuss what is most important to it’s community members,
- Plan how to make those things happens, and
- Prioritize what should get implemented with identified resources.
Major elements of the plan include:
- Zoning and Land Use
- Urban Design, Neighborhoods and Housing
- Mobility Systems, Connections, and Walkability
- Open Space
- History, Art, and Culture
- Environmental Compliance
What will happen to the excess property?
MDOT committed the value of the excess property to Community Enhancements. The land transfer process has not been determined yet, but since the land was originally purchased with federal/state funds, it is subject to Title 23 and state law for the use of transportation funds.
The land transfer options will need to support strategies outlined in the Community Enhancements and Framework Plan.
What is the aesthetic guide?
The Aesthetic Guide is a document that will outline the unified visual characteristics and branding of the new Boulevard and interchange. Public meetings will be held with the City of Detroit and other local stakeholders to discuss the overall aesthetics of the project and confirm that there is consistency between various design elements, including bridge structures, gateway treatments, signing, fencing, retaining walls, lighting, landscaping, and non-motorized facilities.
The meetings will also discuss other placemaking and historical elements and the branding of the Boulevard. Once a set of design elements have been developed, these will be presented to the public. A series of design concept elements will be presented, and the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback to help determine the preferred elements within the corridor. The Aesthetic Design Guidelines will summarize the results, which can then be incorporated into later design documents.
What is the Traffic Operations during Construction Plan?
Traffic operations during construction is a set of initial ideas for how to manage traffic during construction. The guiding principles for the traffic operations during construction plan are safety, access, and time (i.e., providing greater access during construction results in longer constructions time, versus providing reduced access can reduce construction time). MDOT will seek public input on the maintenance of traffic solutions through public and stakeholder meetings in 2024. These meetings may also include the results from the traffic management plan for when special events occur within the theater and stadium district.
MDOT has welcomed a new community partner, the Downtown Detroit Partnership, to provide additional construction mitigation services.
How will MDOT be inclusive of small and local businesses?
Prior to hiring a construction contractor, MDOT plans to engage small and disadvantaged businesses in Detroit to facilitate the process or training to become project- ready. Per the contracting process, MDOT puts a project out for bid, contractors bid on it, and then those contractors look for businesses that are disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) certified and have MDOT prequalifications. MDOT’s goal is to engage Detroit-based, minority owned businesses and workforce in the execution of the pre-construction and construction services by helping them to become certified and/or prequalified. MDOT has hosted three Industry Forums to engage with local businesses and will host a fourth in Summer 2025.
Who is on the Local Advisory Committee?
MDOT will support community-based decision-making by facilitating the formation of a community-centric Local Advisory Committee (LAC). The LAC is tasked with providing:
- Implementable, reasonable, and appropriate input, advice, and guidance on the preparation and implementation of a Community Enhancement Plan, Framework Plan, and Aesthetic Design Guidelines.
- The LAC will also provide ongoing guidance to address details related to community place-making, minimizing maintenance of traffic impacts, and improving pedestrian and nonmotorized multi-modal access.
There is a resident and stakeholder LAC.
- Stakeholder participants include local groups and the community such as neighborhood organizations, business organizations, clergy, local businesses historical societies, historians, governmental agencies, representatives of the surviving and contemporary jazz community, musical foundations, media sources, climate justice organizations, and racial justice organizations.
- Resident participants include people that live in proximity to the corridor.
MDOT works closely with the city of Detroit and local stakeholders to identify the right individuals and/or organizations to represent on the Local Advisory Committee. Recommendations the Local Advisory Committee make will be brought to the public for input.
What does the 375 board do?
An executive board consisting of local and state agency representatives will be formed. Roles and responsibilities of the executive board will include:
- Adopt the community enhancements plan or amend as appropriate.
- Final decisions and approvals for land disposition, including contracts and agreements, related to the community enhancements plan and land use framework plan.
- Represent their respective agency’s entities and provide subject matter expertise.
The board members are to be decided. More information on the make-up of the board can be found in the FONSI.
Who are the project partners?
MDOT is skilled in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of transportation infrastructure systems, and understands the unique opportunities presented by the I-375 Project. To ensure the infrastructure facilitates and supports the communities’ goals, MDOT is working collaboratively with the city of Detroit, Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP), and Kresge to harness each group’s areas of expertise to achieve the best possible project outcome.
- City of Detroit:
- Lead the Neighborhood Framework (including land use) in coordination with MDOT
- Implement zoning and other commitments associated with the Neighborhood Framework
- Downtown Detroit Partnership will work with a team of consultants to provide:
- Provide additional construction mitigation resources
- Conduct a peer review of the project
- The Kresge Foundation
- Grant funder to DDP
- Facilitate a roundtable with a focus on equity opportunities, including restorative or reparative outcomes.
Was a new traffic analysis conducted?
In 2023, MDOT heard concerns about the number of lanes on the new boulevard from the community. Understanding that COVID-19 has had an impact on the way that people travel in late 2023/early 2024, the project team collected new traffic data to determine if a reduction in lanes is feasible. MDOT studied the updated volume of vehicles traveling I-375 and the flow patterns of those vehicles and performed intersection analysis to identify any bottlenecks and congestion points and analyze safety. The findings from the ongoing traffic modeling require the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Southeast Michigan finalized. The new data has indicated a reduction in the peak traffic volumes that provides the flexibility needed to reduce the number of lanes in the new boulevard and increase local connectivity in the interchange area. MDOT is actively exploring these opportunities and developing the design to address this concern.
Was the team that will complete the final design and construction selected? What method did MDOT use?
MDOT has selected the team of Dan’s Excavating and AECOM to complete the final design and construction the project with AECOM as the final designer, and Dan’s as the contractor that will build the new boulevard and modified interchange. Dan’s and AECOM are a Michigan based team with significant experience working in Detroit.
This was a qualification-based selection using an innovative contracting method called progressive design-build, as opposed to the more commonly used design-build method. The progressive design-build method allows the team to work together to:
- Incorporate stakeholder input and manage changes as the Neighborhood Framework and project develop.
- Develop construction staging and packaging options to meet stakeholders needs, support efficient scheduling, mitigate risk, and manage traffic impacts during construction.
- Support maximum small and disadvantaged business participation and workforce development opportunities.
Are there other contracting opportunities?
MDOT has released three additional requests for proposals (RFP) for this project.
- Strategic Messaging and Media - this team is tasked with story telling through managing media interaction and creating a social media plan. MDOT has selected Compass Strategies, a Detroit-based firm, for this RFP.
- Urban Design and Historian- this team well help support the development of the Neighborhood Framework. MDOT will select the consultant for this RFP in ___ of this year.
Can I still access Mack Avenue from the new boulevard?
Yes. Mack Avenue can be accessed by taking the new boulevard to the I-75 service drive and driving along the service drive to Mack Avenue.
The Mack Avenue exit from northbound I-75 was eliminated for the safety of drivers. The new freeway configuration involves braided ramps near Mack Avenue. Braided ramps are designed to manage traffic flow by separating merging and exiting vehicles, but having exit lanes to close to them can create safety hazards. Here’s why:
- Weaving conflicts: When an entrance ramp and exit ramp are too close, drivers entering the freeway must merge while others are trying to exit. This can lead to last-minute lane changes and conflicts.
- Driver confusion: Too many decision points in a short distance can overwhelm drivers leading to abrupt lane changes.
- Increased risk of side-swipe collisions: vehicles weaving in and out of lanes in close proximity can lead to side-swipe or merging accidents.
What is the environmental process?
MDOT followed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, which requires that the social, economic, cultural, and natural environmental impacts of any proposed action by the federal government be analyzed for decision-making and public information purposes.
- A Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study was completed in 2016, which represents a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making that considers environmental, community, and economic goals early in the planning process. This also uses the information, analysis, and products developed during planning to inform the environmental review process.
- The Environmental Assessment (EA) was completed in early 2021 and analyzed potential impacts and suggested measures for minimizing harm to the project area. In early 2021, MDOT opened a 45-day public comment period and hosted a public hearing and virtual meeting following the EA release.
In March 2022, MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration published the FONSI, which documented and thoroughly reviewed the public comments submitted during the 45-day
How many alternatives were considered?
The following graphic displays the process of getting to the Selected Alternative, which included community input throughout the process.
A Preferred Alternative was selected and is analyzed in the EA. It became the Selected Alternative through the Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI), completing the NEPA process. |
Four refined Practical Alternatives were developed based on a need to further analyze the boulevard and introduce a new interchange alternative resulting from stakeholder feedback. |
Two Practical Alternatives were identified through the Illustrative Alternative screening and combined with one Interchange Alternative. One Practical Alternative was selected to be further refined. |
Six Illustrative Alternatives and two Illustrative Interchange Alternatives were studied further. A screening process was completed to narrow it down to two Practical Alternatives. |
Who was involved in the environmental process?
MDOT and FHWA have had a robust stakeholder engagement process to reach the Selected Alternative. The process included four public meetings, seven Local Advisory Committee and Government Advisory Committee meetings, 12 workshops with the City of Detroit, and more than 70 meetings with various stakeholders along the corridor including local businesses, churches, associations, and block clubs. The public meetings and the Public Hearing were advertised for open participation. When the Public Hearing was held a project newspaper was sent out to everyone 1 ½ mile out from the corridor.
The Project is moving forward into the design phase, and new opportunities for engagement with the public will be offered throughout 2023. For more information, visit the project website or contact MDOT at MDOT-I-375corridor@Michigan.gov.
Was there a traffic noise analysis done?
A Traffic Noise Analysis Technical Memorandum was submitted in August of 2020. The report evaluates the potential noise impacts of the proposed improvements along 375 from I-75 to Jefferson Avenue in Downtown Detroit in conformance with corresponding Federal regulations and guidance, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The noise analysis presents the existing and future acoustical environment at receptors located in the Project area. A noise analysis was completed and none of the predicted future noise levels would substantially exceed existing noise levels. Potential noise barriers were evaluated along the I-75 freeway but were either not acoustically feasible (did not achieve the required noise reduction) or reasonable (cost exceeds allowable cost per benefited receptor). See EA section 4.8 (Noise and Vibration) for more information.
Construction activities themselves can produce increased noise of a temporary nature. MDOT will be sensitive to local needs and may adjust work practices to reduce inconvenience to the public.
The major construction elements of this project are expected to be demolition, hauling, grading, paving, and bridge construction. Construction of the proposed improvements will result in a temporary increase in the ambient noise level along 375. Considering the relatively short-term and intermittent nature of construction noise, impacts are not expected to be substantial. Nearby structures will reduce the effects of construction noise on the passerby and those living and working near the project.
More information about the traffic noise analysis can be found here.
What is the project green sheet and how does it address social and environmental effects of the original construction?
The Green Sheet (page 32 of the FONSI) contains the Project-specific mitigation measures that address project impacts, as well as community enhancements to acknowledge the historic social and environmental effects of the original construction of I-375. The Project mitigation and additional community enhancements will be tracked and sign-off on the mitigation and community enhancements will occur as the Project progresses through the various phases: design, right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, construction, and maintenance.