A few weeks ago, we talked about the worst intersections in Detroit. Many readers said that the intersection of Gratiot/Macomb/Randolph/Broadway downtown was the worst for pedestrians.
The city is doing something about it!
Seriously!
The city’s website announced yesterday that MDOT, the Downtown Detroit Partnership, and the city were partnering to try to make that awful intersection more traffic and pedestrian friendly. The pilot project starts this month. The redesign would cut both traffic time and pedestrian distance. The redesign would even include a new pedestrian plaza.
From the announcement:
"The intersection will be reconfigured early next month to reroute northbound Randolph Street traffic and to share what is currently the road’s southbound lanes. A new 13,000-square foot pedestrian plaza is proposed in place of the northbound lanes to host food trucks, sidewalk seating and other activities. Macomb Street, which also feeds into the intersection from the east, will terminate at the proposed pedestrian plaza, reducing the number of directions from which traffic can enter the intersection."
The intersection will be evaluated this winter, and then, "After evaluation, any necessary modifications and the proposed plaza will be coordinated with MDOT’s resurfacing of the intersection in spring 2017. If approved, the public plaza will be programmed seasonally, similar to Cadillac Square."
Here’s a video showing the proposed changes.
Strong work, friends. Now let’s get some ideas together for that awful MLK/Trumbull/Grand River intersection.
- Open Thread: What’s the worst intersection in Detroit? [Curbed Detroit]
- City, MDOT & DDP Partner To Help Make Gratiot/Randolph Intersection Simpler and More Pedestrian Friendly