Construction begins on newest 1.6 mile-stretch of Joe Louis Greenway

Highland Park ― Plans for a 27.5-mile greenway that will stretch through several Wayne County communities, offering thousands of residents a space to walk and ride, continue to roll with work beginning on a new portion that will connect the city of Highland Park to Detroit's path.

When completed, the Joe Louis Greenway is expected to connect 23 Detroit neighborhoods, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Dearborn and Detroit's riverfront. It is still under construction in the first phase. Some sections of the alignment may change as planning and community engagement continues.

“This is one of those projects where we see that the potential, positive impact that this will make on the city of Highland Park, Hamtramck, Detroit all the way through Dearborn,” said Hassan Sheikh, economic development director for Wayne County, during a press conference Wednesday to mark the latest section. “We’re 43 communities in one county, and any initiatives that we can … bring our county closer together, is something that we’re excited about doing.”

The newest portion of the greenway, which will span 1.6 miles and link the cities via biking path, is expected to cost $20 million. It's being funded with a portion of Wayne County's allocation from President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act, pandemic relief funds.

In total, the Joe Louis Greenway, named for Detroit's boxing legend, is expected to cost $240 million and 40,000 people will be within a 10-minute walk to the greenway.

The construction of the pathway is slated to be completed in 5 to 10 years, dependent on funding, officials have said. The next outreach meeting is 5 p.m. Sept. 21 for updates in southwest including installing bike lanes on segments between Lonyo to Green Street and Clark to West Jefferson.

The greenway isn't just about recreation but community engagement and economic development, supporters say.

“Having space in your backyard that you can go to,” said Leona Medley, executive director for the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership. “ When we think about small business opportunities, when we think about how our organization will be programming and activating this space, (our focus is) how do we work with communities to make sure that there are residents able and ready to participate in those things,” she added. “Now, there will be a place for families for young people, for seniors to go to for (recreation).”