Detroit (WWJ) -- Businesses, residents and drivers will celebrate the July 4th holiday--declaring independence from the orange barrels tied to the Gateway Project.
I-75, which has been closed from Rosa Parks Blvd. to Clark St. since February 2008, reopens Thursday afternoon, five months ahead of schedule. Both the Southbound and Northbound lanes are now open.
The 230-million dollar reconstruction project was designed to improve efficiency for commercial traffic exiting the Ambassador Bridge, remove truck traffic from local streets and provide for future traffic needs.
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For Dr. Fern Espino, who chairs the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation, it means a community that was fractured by the freeway in the 1970's will be reunited with a new pedestrian walkway, which will have the look of a suspension bridge with a tower and suspension cables.
"What this pedestrian bridge will do is reconnect the people on the east side and the west side. The freeway is still there, but that has been circumvented," he said.
The newly opened freeway also means better access to Mexicantown's restaurants and businesses, many of which told WWJ during the 17-month project that business was hampered by the construction.
While the main freeway is open, work on ramps and bridges is expected to continue until the end of the year. Intermittent lane closures will take place during off-peak hours.
Check out more with WWJ's Real-Time Traffic.
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