Score Another Point for the Riverfront!

With miles of riverfront and one of the busiest international waterways in the world, it's hard to believe that Detroit's residents and neighbors have lived so many years with such little access to actually enjoy the Detroit riverfront.

Since 2000, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (DRFC) has diligently been working to change that, and the passing of a federal transportation bill last Friday - which promises an additional $29 million in funding for the western riverfront and $3 million for the eastern side - gives the non-profit group the extra support it needs to continue moving forward with its riverfront projects, mainly the creation of a RiverWalk from the MacArthur Bridge at Belle Isle to the Ambassador Bridge, one of two main connectors between Detroit and Windsor.

Designed after the bustling and popular riverfront pathways that can be seen in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, Detroit's RiverWalk is being designed by the renowned architectural firm SmithGroup, whose vision calls for a 62-foot-wide walkway that will easily allow visitors to comfortably enjoy the RiverWalk experience. More than fifty-percent of the eastern phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2005, and the timeline for the western phase calls for completion in 2007.

Recent sales of land parcels along the riverfront, as well as the DRFC's acquisitions of key pieces of land close to the RiverWalk's projected path continue to garner interest from area developers, who foresee the need for additional residential and commercial establishments that a large project like the RiverWalk is likely to bring.

Visit the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy's website for more information.

Have a question or comment on this post? I'd love to hear from you! E-mail me at girl.in.the.d@gmail.com.