DETROIT (WWJ) — A battle may be brewing over the historic cobblestones in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.
The Michigan Department of Transportation is studying a rebuild — and repurposing — of Michigan Avenue from I-96 to Campus Martius Park that could involve removing the historic stretch of brick roadway through Corktown.
MDOT officials say their plan is to make the two miles of Michigan Avenue from Woodward to I-96 more “user friendly," especially for buses and autonomous-driving vehicles.
But many residents are putting up a fight to “Save the Bricks.” The Corktown Business Association says MDOT is planning to remove all the brick pavers on Michigan Avenue and “replace them with brick reproductions in only two small sections,” according to the association’s website.
The association has started a petition with the goal of keeping not just the bricks, but two lanes of traffic in each direction, among other key points.
With the re-opening of Michigan Central Station, officials had previously explored the idea of introducing EV-charging roads and autonomous vehicle lanes, but the petition acknowledges the "US-12 Detroit Mobility and Innovation Corridor – Corktown" is no longer an autonomous vehicle project but a streetscape project, saying "this change in direction has taken place without community input and raises major concerns about transparency and community engagement."
The association says local businesses and residents “were not consulted about reducing traffic lanes, turn lanes or losing on-street parking” and no plans have been shared to mitigate business interruptions or neighborhood traffic issues during construction.
Bob Roberts, a Corktown resident and co-owner of McShane’s Irish Pub at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, told WWJ’s Mike Campbell said the top priority of those opposed to the plan is keeping the historic bricks.
“We don’t wanna lose the historic bricks because that is the true identity of Corktown,” Roberts said. “Like our colleague said, if you hit the bricks as a visitor, you know you’re in Corktown and as a resident or a business owner, you know you’re home.”
Roberts says a similar project was just completed elsewhere in Michigan, so he knows there’s a way to save the bricks.
“Actually, we just saw it be done in Flint. Saginaw Street in Flint, they just did exactly what we’re asking MDOT to do here,” Roberts told Campbell. “They removed all the bricks, they either repaired ‘em or got new ones and then replaced them. So if it can be done in Flint, it can certainly be done in Corktown.”
Other residents in Corktown also want to see the bricks preserved.
“I think they should keep the bricks; maybe maintain it a little, but definitely not tear it off because it really brings a beautiful charm to the town,” one woman said.
“The brick has been down since the trolley cars, if not before, so we’re talking ‘20s, ‘30s, so yeah, leave it be,” another man added.
MDOT is rumored to be holding a community hearing in September regarding the project, but an exact date is not clear.
More on today's top stories: