Freeway caps/parks in Detroit (Davison: neighborhoods, tax, design)

[OyCrumbler]

This is premature with what funding is available, but I was looking at the maps of Detroit's freeways and how for the most part they are in trenches outside of the interchanges between freeways and approaches to a bridge. I think one thing that can knit various neighborhoods and to help spread the development of downtown Detroit to the rest of the city is to essentially deepen those trenches and then to make freeway caps that are parks over as much of the freeway network as possible. A three mile radius from Grand Circus Park is very ambitious, but it would be transformative in terms of giving greenspace to people and to help development spread. It's also at that point where the freeways are much further out from each other and so allow for large contiguous spaces that are not as interrupted by freeways as they are mostly concentrated near downtown. I thin outside of that three mile radius Davison Freeway is also a good candidate where it passed along and near Woodward Avenue as Woodward is the primary artery for the city.

Unlike, say the Big Dig in Boston, this isn't taking elevated freeways and then tunneling underground and through bodies of water, but instead it is freeways that are currently in trenches that can be relatively easily deepened and then decked over as a sort of "cut and cover" operation which is usually dramatically cheaper per square mile. Eliminating some of the ramps/approaches would probably also greatly reduce the cost.

[craig11152]

It sounds nice but there is a limit to available tax dollars.

[Coldjensens]

The 10 already goes under part of the WCCC campus. However this was originally a railroad bridge that was left in place and is a park area for WCCC.

[Retroit]

You know darn well that those greenspace parks would be turned into parking lots.

[adams_aj]

flooding would get worse on the freeways..

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by adams_aj

flooding would get worse on the freeways..

Not following the logic of this statement. How would putting a cap over the freeways and turning them into tunnels instead of ditches increase flooding?

[Nattering Heights]

Most of the freeway system is near the end of its lifespan. As the nation leaves the car age, more of the shrinking infrastructure budget will be spent on a few bridges, canal locks, and maybe some railroads. If the trenches aren't useful for canals, they may be filled in to reduce bridge work.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by Nattering Heights

Most of the freeway system is near the end of its lifespan. As the nation leaves the car age, more of the shrinking infrastructure budget will be spent on a few bridges, canal locks, and maybe some railroads. If the trenches aren't useful for canals, they may be filled in to reduce bridge work.

I don't think the country is leaving the car age.
Elon Musk is hailed by many as a visionary and he builds cars.
People are spending billions designing driverless cars and electric powered cars.
Mass transit ridership has been on a slight downswing as more people drive, more people work at home, more people use ride sharing like Uber and Lyft.

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Not following the logic of this statement. How would putting a cap over the freeways and turning them into tunnels instead of ditches increase flooding?

I think the theory is the freeway under the flat space has to be dug deeper so more water can roll in from either side of the overpass....that is the theory.

[adams_aj]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Not following the logic of this statement. How would putting a cap over the freeways and turning them into tunnels instead of ditches increase flooding?

The OP made some mention of deepening the freeways, hence worse flooding.