Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Design team Living Lab proposes a 0.4-mile "cap" over I-75 near downtown Detroit. Image: ##http://www.letssavemichigan.com/highways-for-habitats-voting/## Let's Save Michigan##

What would a more sustainable transportation system look like for the Detroit region? Or Michigan at large?

Detroit's regional planning agency didn't show much foresight when, over the protests of many local jurisdictions, it green-lighted two highway projects totaling $4 billion this summer. But the non-profit Let's Save Michigan is trying to help Michigan's leaders envision a more inspired future, one built around sustainability, equality, and community.

The group has enlisted the help of people from around the state as part of the "Highways for Habitats" project, calling on designers to put forward their best and boldest grand ideas for their communities. And people have answered their call.

It's amazing how much different transportation solutions are when they're inspired by the experiences of community members, rather people who consider themselves first-and-foremost highway designers.

What if I-75 near downtown Detroit were capped, one project proposes, to help connect the city's new Arena District to other neighborhoods?

"Currently, the I-75 Freeway is a considerable concrete barrier to connectivity, particularly to pedestrians and bicyclists -- a forbidding moat of noise, fumes and desolation," writes the design team, Living Lab, in their entry. "Detroit Lid!" would add a 0.4-mile deck over the freeway, making room for mixed-use infill development and public space while reopening key connections for walking and biking.

Another proposal focuses on two major thoroughfares near downtown Muskegon (population 37,000). Wide widths and high speeds on Webster Avenue and Muskegon Avenue stifle the potential of the city, designer Brandon Morrison says.

"These two streets bisect our downtown and currently create a huge barrier between our urban neighborhoods and our downtown business and museum district," he writes.

Morrison has been working with the city on a plan to calm traffic with on-street parking, street trees, bike lanes and mid-block crosswalks. He also calls for adding roundabouts to slow motor vehicle speeds and welcome biking and walking on residential streets.

The current conditions near Muskegon's downtown, left, and a rendering of a proposal to make it more bike and pedestrian friendly, right. Image: ##http://www.letssavemichigan.com/transit-contest/brandon-morrison/## Let's Save Michigan##

Designers Nick Helmholdt and Bonnie Bona, meanwhile, have proposed transforming North Main Street in Ann Arbor with a protected, two-way bike lane and a reversible traffic lane. Currently the road consists of four fast-moving lanes for cars.

"This 4-lane highway is unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists due to traffic speed (posted at 45mph) and vehicle volume (over 26,000 per day)," write Helmholdt and Bona.

But North Main Street also serves as the grand entrance to Ann Arbor, the team says, and it needs "a gateway zone, simultaneously transitioning drivers’ mental states while improving non-motorized access and safety."

Lets Save Michigan is asking the public to weigh in and vote for their favorite plan. Voting closes Thursday, so you better act fast.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Sprawling Headlines

Sprawl seems to be having a moment, but it remains a very shortsighted and environmentally disastrous way to solve the housing crisis.

July 1, 2025

Does Constant Driving Really Make Our Country Richer?

A new study reveals that constant driving is making America less productive and prosperous — and getting people on other modes could help right the ship.

July 1, 2025

This Threatened Toronto Bike Lane Gets More Rush Hour Traffic Than the Car Lane

Toronto leadership claim "no one bikes" on their cities' paths — but the data shows otherwise.

July 1, 2025

How to Do High-Speed Rail Right

At the APTA conference in San Francisco, representatives from France, Germany, and Japan revealed the secrets behind their high-speed rail success stories.

June 30, 2025

‘We’re Not Copenhagen’ Is No Excuse Not to Build a Great Biking And Walking City

A team of researchers identified eight under-the-radar cities leading the local active transportation revolution — and a menu of strategies that other communities can and should steal.

June 30, 2025
See all posts