Friday, May 31, 2024     |     www.detroitmi.gov

City announces final road closures and transportation options for the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix

Detroit Grand Prix Road Closure Map

The City of Detroit is ready to host the world-class racing right here on the streets of Downtown Detroit. It’s important for residents and visitors alike to be aware of road closures and have a transportation plan in place to get to the event in advance of race weekend.

The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear will span over three days and will be held in Downtown Detroit again this year, following the largely successful return of the Grand Prix to downtown in 2023. The 2024 Grand Prix kicks off today with the return of Free Prix Day, sponsored by Comerica Bank, and runs through Sunday, June 2.

Residents and visitors will still have access to downtown through alternative transportation options such as the Detroit People Mover, SMART and DDOT buses, Transit Windsor, and the QLINE. While the Detroit People Mover will have extended hours, DDOT and SMART buses will operate on their normal schedule with modifications to routes to accommodate road closures.

Sidewalks will remain open for those seeking to access businesses and residences downtown.

The Detroit Windsor Tunnel will remain fully open and accessible from I-375. The tunnel will not be accessible via Jefferson Avenue or M-10.                      Visit takethetunnel.com/ for more information.

Detroit Grand Prix Road Closures are as follows:

• Now closed until Thursday, June 5
  • Atwater from Riopelle to Hart Plaza
  • Bates from Jefferson to Atwater
  • EB Jefferson from M-10 to Rivard
  • WB Jefferson from Rivard to Washington Blvd.
  • Woodward from State to Jefferson
  • Cadillac Square west of Bates
  • Campus Martius
• Now closed until Monday, June 3
  • Renaissance Drive West
  • Franklin between Rivard and St. Antoine
  • Rivard between Jefferson and Atwater
  • Antoine between Jefferson and Atwater

All remaining street closures are expected to be reopened by Friday, June 7. Larned and Congress are expected to remain open for the duration of the event.

Mayor Duggan, Chief James White discuss mental health efforts at the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference

Mayor Mike Duggan and Chief of Police James White took part in the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference this week. During the presentation, they spoke on the historic drops in Detroit’s crime rate, while highlighting the continued need to improve mental health efforts in the City and across the state of Michigan.

Members of the Detroit Police Department (DPD) regularly deal with potentially dangerous situations as a result of mental illness, and have become the City of Detroit’s primary agency for mental health intervention.

Chief White has already been working to resolve the issue, having earned a Master’s Degree in Mental Health and become a licensed mental health counselor. Last year, he created the DPD’s first Mental Health Co-Response Unit.

Along with the Detroit Police Department’s new approach, Mayor Duggan and Chief White identified a need for more of the following:

• Community Treatment
• Psychiatric Crisis Center beds for 72-hour stays
• Long-Term Treatment Beds

Last week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state legislature approved bills to treat mental health on par with physical health. Currently there are several new and replacement treatment facilities being built.

With the greater commitment to Community Mental Health Boards and new treatment facilities, the City of Detroit leadership aims to stop treating the mentally ill at the Wayne Co. Jail – and instead get them the care and help they truly need.

Learn more about the City of Detroit’s Civil Rights, Inclusion & Opportunity (CRIO) Department and it’s efforts here.

A rendering of the new terminal Avflight will begin constructing this summer at the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit.

The City of Detroit announced the first significant initiative in 50 years to rejuvenate Coleman A. Young International Airport (KDET), marking a new chapter in Detroit’s aviation history.

Last year, the City received FAA approval to institute a 20-year airport development and strategy design plan. The approval allows Coleman A. Young International Airport to apply for federal funding that would subsidize airport infrastructure upgrades.

Beginning this summer, Avflight will construct a modern terminal measuring -at a minimum- 3,000 square feet, along with a 15,000-square-foot heated hangar next to the existing terminal. The structures will greatly enhance the airport’s amenities, services and security.

Other enhancements to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport include the recently completed $350,000 LED taxi lighting upgrade and $3.5 million runway renovation. Upcoming projects include a $1.2 million ramp pavement improvement project and $8.1 million engineered material arresting system – a safety feature to help stop aircraft at the end of a runway.

Further city-planned initiatives include constructing a new control tower with the FAA beginning in 2026, an airport beautification initiative, upgraded snow removal equipment, and establishing educational and community organizations at the airport to promote and host educational opportunities for Detroit residents.

City of Detroit Department of Public Works is asking residents on the East and Southwest sides of Detroit to have patience this week only as current contractor GFL completes its last week as the City’s trash hauler.

Staffing issues have caused a delay in the curbside collection service for a few days ahead of the beginning of the new trash hauler contracts which begin June 3. Some of GFL’s truck drivers are transitioning to work for new trash hauler, Priority Waste.

Residents are encouraged to leave their containers at curbside until they are serviced. No tickets will be issued to residents for leaving containers out beyond their normally scheduled collection day.

GFL is committed to servicing all east side and southwest customers through the weekend.

East and Southwest Detroit residents should call GFL Environmental at (866) 772-8900. After June 3, East and Southwest residents should call Priority Waste at (855) 927-8365. Westside residents should call Waste Management at (844) 233-8764.

Learn more at DPW curbside changes.

The Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Challenge has selected the City of Detroit, along with Varanasi, India, and Venice, Italy, to host innovation challenge initiatives.

The goal of the $9 million global initiative is to help cities accelerate toward sustainable mobility, fostering healthier and safer urban environments while enhancing people’s ability to commute, work, study, and access services.

Detroit has launched a global call for innovators to transform freight in the city’s historic Eastern Market district as part of the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s $9 million Sustainable Cities Challenge. Detroit’s initiative invites innovators from across the globe to access a share of $3 million in funding per city to create solutions that will reduce emissions, noise and air pollution, and operational costs.

Detroit’s Eastern Market is amongst the oldest historic markets in the U.S. and is at the heart of Detroit’s Challenge. The district is poised to expand and is considering strategies to address environmental concerns, carbon emissions, and pollution while adding residential units to this bustling community.

City planning efforts have called for exploring alternatives to fossil fuels and optimizing routing software to alleviate traffic congestion.

Learn more about additional CPR Training online at DFD Training Academy.

The City of Detroit, in partnership with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), is seeking proposals from qualified developers for the redevelopment of several parcels that represent the majority of the former Packard Plant. The project’s primary goal is to redevelop the site into a high-quality industrial/manufacturing facility, ideally in the automotive sector. The property, located at 6199 Concord Avenue and several surrounding addresses, is an approximately 37.24-acre site between Interstate 94 and Farnsworth Street on Detroit’s east side.

The site’s prime location, close to major freeways, roadways and other manufacturing businesses such as Factory Zero, makes it an attractive development opportunity.

The RFP was released on May 30, and proposals from interested firms will be due by July 12. Following the submittal deadline, the DEGC and City of Detroit will review the submitted proposals and endeavor to notify the selected respondent by early fall. The City will then work with the winning developer to conclude a development deal for the site.

Office of Sustainability Director Tepfirah Rushdan joined City Council President Pro Tem James Tate, representatives from the Detroit Bee City Committee and community partners last week at the Brightmoor Pollinator Habitat to announce Detroit’s affiliation with Bee City USA.

In February, the City Council unanimously voted to designate Detroit as an affiliate of Bee City USA, aligning with other cities and campuses nationwide in their commitment to enhancing landscapes for pollinators.

The decision follows months of collaborative effort led by dedicated individuals and groups to secure this affiliation. Michigan is home to 465 native bee species, each playing a vital role within our ecosystems.

The City of Detroit office of Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) is seeking nominations for Detroit Composer Laureate, a new position sponsored by the Ford Foundation that would advocate for and represent Detroit’s diverse musical heritage, community and spirit, building upon it’s long standing as a leader in musical innovation and excellence.

After a formal selection process, the chosen individual will be ceremonially named Detroit’s official Composer Laureate, similar to other Ford Foundations-sponsored positions, City Historian Jamon Jordan and Poet Laureate jessica Care moore.

The Laureate will be expected to teach Detroit’s musical legacy and inspire young people to continue that legacy by considering careers in music, encouraging young talents to make their careers in Detroit.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Be Detroit residents;
• Have a substantial body of published composition;
• Have at least 10 years of experience writing or teaching music.

Candidates may nominate themselves. Packets should be sent to RoseK@metrosolutions.us.

The deadline for nominations is June 7, 2024. For more information, contact Lacey Holmes in the ACE office at lacey.holmes@detroitmi.gov.

Detroit City Council President Pro Tem James Tate is launching ‘Protect Your Crown,’ a campaign that highlights the importance of maintaining one’s mental health and addressing concerns without shame or fear.

In partnership with Pro Tem Tate’s Office, the City of Detroit Health Department is also granting full access to the online Community Mental Health Attitudes Survey.

All the information obtained from the 19-question survey is confidential with a goal of 5,000 completed surveys. Each survey response will help better understand the mental health needs of Detroiters and guide the City’s efforts to obtain resources that make the greatest impact.

The survey can be found at https://bit.ly/pycattitudesurvey.

Join the Office of Mobility (OMI) for the North End Community Bike Ride on Saturday, June 1 from 12 – 3 p.m. Participants will be entered into a raffle for a $50 Visa Gift Card and a $25 Visa Gift Card, as a part of the Detroit Bike Challenge.

There is a limited number of MoGo bikes available for people who don’t own a personal bike.

REGISTER NOW: https://bit.ly/NE-BIKES

The City of Detroit announced it has joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly State and Communities. This enrollment acknowledges the City’s work to create livable neighborhoods where our older residents know their well-being paramount to the administration.

Mayor Duggan’s administration is working in partnership with the Detroit City Council to enhance and promote the City’s robust programs and resources available to seniors. This includes:

• Detroit’s Housing & Revitalization Department has worked to preserve 10,000 units of affordable housing for anywhere between 15-40 years, much of which is dedicated senior housing
• Mayor and City Council allocated $45 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to Renew Detroit, a senior roof repair program
• A Senior Emergency Home Repair program provides up to $15,000 for various repairs
• Department of Public Works prioritizes sidewalk repair around senior’s homes
• Digital Equity & Inclusion Department provides digital literacy and fintech training to seniors
• Recreation Department has dedicated senior programming such as chair yoga and ballroom dancing, and hosts one of the coolest events of the year, our Senior Olympics
• Providing access to American Sign Language and other language services through our office of Civil Rights, Inclusion & Opportunity Department
• Department of Transportation has recently overhauled our paratransit system, which now boasts of 95 percent on-time performance with caring operators
• Department of Mobility and Innovation is working with external partners to pilot a door-to-door shuttle service for seniors to get to and from appointments and shopping
• The Detroit Health Department recently piloted a Re-Engage in Self-Care and Enjoy Today (RESET) program to help adults over 50 improve their post-pandemic well-being, becoming more active and engaged