City of Detroit awarded $20.7 million from federal grant for greenway project
- Joe Louis Meets the Iron Belle: Connecting Communities in Detroit Project is awarded $20.7 million through federal infrastructure grant
- Project will feature improvements in Eastern Market and Southwest Detroit neighborhoods
- Approximately $10 million will go to the construction of each segment, Woodmere Street and Dequindre Street
- Construction expected to start in late 2025
As part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grants, the Biden-Harris Administration awards $20.7 million to the Joe Louis Meets the Iron Belle: Connecting Communities in Detroit Project. The goal of the project is to build two-shared paths in Detroit that will be part of the Joe Louis Greenway (JLG) and Iron Belle Trail (IBT). The two trails will overlap at Woodmere and Dequindre Streets and feature signage, benches, trees and landscaping.
$10.5 million of the RAISE funds will go towards extending the current Dequindre Cut Greenway north of Mack Avenue to Warren Avenue (photo attached). Construction will include removing one traffic lane in both directions on Dequindre Street, to build a shared-use path.
The remaining funds will go to constructing a similar shared-use path on Woodmere Street between Vernor Highway and Fort Street for the Iron Belle Trail (photo attached). In 2017, Southwest Detroit Business Association received a $30,000 Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant to start the planning of this section.
"The Joe Louis Greenway is going to connect nearly two dozen Detroit neighborhoods to each other and the city's beautiful international riverfront, not to mention the cities of Dearborn, Highland Park and Hamtramck when it is completed," said Chief Operating Officer Brad Dick. "We are incredibly grateful to the Biden administration for recognizing the value of this transformational project and for making this critical investment into the Joe Louis Greenway and the thousands of people who will use it."
Joe Louis Greenway Partnership, the nonprofit organization that stewards the greenway, works closely with the City of Detroit. Executive Director, Leona Medley said, “This expansion underscores our unwavering dedication to transforming green spaces and uplifting community well-being. We are excited to continue working hand-in-hand with the City of Detroit, our partners, and the community to bring this bold vision to life, creating a vibrant and accessible greenway for all to enjoy.”
Sharlene Burris, who lives about three blocks from where the new project will be constructed said, “Just to see the uplift and beautification of our area is so exciting for me. I already use the Dequidre Cut—I walk it, ride my bike on it so I cannot wait until the entire project is completed so I can go from end to end.”
The Joe Louis Meets the Iron Belle: Connecting Communities in Detroit Project is one of three Michigan projects that was awarded grants from the RAISE program. Projects across the country were also awarded. For the full list, click here.
Background on Joe Louis Greenway and Iron Belle Trail
Joe Louis Greenway (JLG) is a 30-mile regional greenway connecting 23 Detroit neighborhoods to three cities: Dearborn, Hamtramck, Highland Park. Iron Belle Trail (IBT) extends more than 2,000 miles from the far western tip of the Upper Peninsula to Belle Isle in Detroit.
For more information on the Iron Belle Trail go here. The Joe Louis Greenway map is located here.