Feds award $25 million for Michigan Avenue rebuild in Detroit

The U.S. Transportation Department is awarding $25 million toward reconstructing nearly 2 miles of Michigan Avenue in Detroit, adding dedicated transit lanes and self-driving vehicle lanes through Corktown and downtown.

The award was to be made public Thursday morning as the Biden administration announced $2.2 billion in awards to 166 projects nationwide. The Michigan Department of Transportation, which applied for the grant, said the total project is expected to cost about $50 million.

The funding is part of a program that received an infusion of support with last year’s passage of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill pushed by Biden and approved by Congress.

According to the U.S. Transportation Department, the reconstruction along Michigan Avenue, also known as U.S. 12, will be done between Interstate 96 and Woodward Avenue. Brick pavers on the road will be replaced and the corridor will see improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and public transit passengers. Bus lanes will be separated from bike lanes and parking lanes as well.

More: Biden wins passage of $1.2 trillion road and bridge bill, including billions for Michigan

The project will take place in an area where Ford Motor Co. announced earlier this year it was entering a partnership with the state and the city of Detroit as part of its plans to create an “innovation district” around the reclaimed Michigan Central Station. Ford is also testing autonomous vehicle technology in the area.

The other Michigan projects receiving funding that were part of Thursday’s announcement include:

• $19.9 million to the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians for transit and road improvements, including rebuilding 3 Mile Road with a nonmotorized path, reconstructing the Shunk Road corridor and redesigning and reconstructing the Casino Road loop.

• $6 million to Kalamazoo to help pay planning costs for a redesign of the city’s downtown to make it more walkable.

• $1.3 million to the Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority to help determine options for new train services in northern Michigan.

Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Avenue in Detroit gets $25 million in federal funding