detroitjim

I hadn't seen any news about this since last summer. Thought that others might like to know that there has been some progress.


This construction will extend the Cut approximately 1/2 mile north to Mack Avenue and will include a connection to Eastern Market.


These photos were taken 9-29-2013 by Cosine.

I haven't noticed much activity over the last several weeks. Probably due to the weather.
The projections for completion are 2015.
I 'd like to see them step it up a bit and finish by Labor Day this year.
Will try to take some new photos and post them next week.

fishtoes2000

I believe it's supposed to be done by this November since that's a requirement of the $10 TIGER grant. The path may be open sooner. There's also nearly 10 miles of bike lanes and shared markers to connect the Cut with Hamtramck and Midtown.

I'll have some large project maps in the Detroit Greenways Coalition booth at the Detroit Bike Show on March 28th.

detroitjim

Went by the Cut today. They were working on it even though the low this morning was -1F. The first is from the threshold of the old Division Street bridge.
The next two are from the Alfred Street bridge looking south and north.
Looks as though the pile driver is setting the first piling for the new Adelaide bridge.

Kindly forgive the low res pictures my camera didn't feel like working in this cold of a temperature. I had to use the camera on the phone.
Will try to take new photos next month to show the progress.

chaadster

interesting. thanks.

DTownDave22

Should make crossing Gratiot easier now. A lot easier. I understand the meme someone posted on Facebook before that read something like, "One does not simply cross Gratiot."

I become rather furious, when I actually do ride on the sidewalk at times, like is often implied or stated by drivers to do, only to be cut off or ignored by people making a turn, when I have the right of way on a pedestrian signal. Such is the case at Gratiot, where there are noticeable signs that you can't miss on the sidewalk that tell one to use the crosswalk. Yeah, right. It should read "Use crosswalk if you want to be run over." 

I crossed Gratiot back in late December (one of the few times, if not the first time) near the northern end of the Dequindre Cut, after waiting for the motorized death boxes to clear tuirning, and checked out the progress. Didn't take any pictures but I do vaguely recall there being less snow and perhaps there even being work done at the time.

detroitjim

Only noticeable progress from last month is the Division street bridge has been completely removed and pilings have been driven for the new bridge.

Took photos from the Wilkins bridge looking north and south.

I'll next update when I see significant changes.

DougG

This will be great when it's finished! All sorts of possibilities with easy access from the riverfront to Eastern Market.

zonatandem

Looks like a war zone!

detroitjim

Yup, unfortunately there is a lot of the city that looks that way.
Did a survey of vacant homes in my square 1/2mile sector. There were 50. (5 of those wasted)
The number in the adjacent sector had 175(about 35% of those burned out hulks)

DTownDave22

Haven't really biked in the city since early October, and I'm not getting my bike fix either way, from reading (about Detroit-related biking with Mr. Fishtoes2000 basically not blogging anymore) or riding in the winter. Was that Tiger grant revoked by the way?


Lastly, anyone have any more up-to-date pictures?

detroitjim

Pedaled downtown today.

There hadn't been any updates from news sources on the Dequindre Cut Expansion in quite awhile.

Last report was that the official opening was delayed from Nov 2014 to late spring 2015.
The reason given for the delay was a fiber optic cable run that was not documented on Wilkins.
That interfered with the Wilkins bridge replacement.

As of today both the Adelaide and Division Bridges are open. The Alfred bridge has been eliminated . The arches are constructed for the Wilkins bridge but the overpasses roadway has not been installed. It appears that the bases for the lighting and security poles are in place from Gratiot to Division street.

Looks as though there is still much to be done.
I'd be very surprised if it opens before July 4th. Reckon it'll depend on the weather.

Photos top l to r
Mack looking south,Division looking south,Adelaide looking south.
Division looking north,Adelaide looking north,west of Wilkins bridge looking east.

howeeee

that is in an ignorant comment, they are doing construction Einstien.
Dequinder cut from the river front to eastern market is beautiful

DTownDave22

Thanks for the photos. I've learned to temper my expectations with construction deadlines, since it's something I've begun paying a bit more attention to, especially with some of the bridges along the Rouge River and pushing back deadlines repeatedly, with a number of variables I'm sure contributing to any given project.

I thought I'd snap a few photos of the Dequindre Cut in-progress back when we had our thaw in early March of this year (or so I thought). The snow was covering up much of the in-progress construction quite nicely--but not enough for someone walking nearby to think it incomprehensible to go exploring starting at the current north terminus of the Cut when they asked me if I was going to go walk through there, as I had stopped and taken some photos. I got a little laugh out of it, personally.

detroitjim

It's been 7 weeks since I last checked their progress. Rode past yesterday and took some new pictures to show you.

The crews were working on the Wilkins to the cut access, at about 4pm .

The Wilkins bridge is is passable on foot or bike but the pavement is not in yet.

The gravel bedding for the asphalt is laid from south of Gratiot(Where the original cut connection is to the extension) to Alfred street. Also the bases for the lighting and security poles are up to the same point.
It appears that there is much work to be performed north of Alfred to Mack.

Maybe it'll be usable for the 4th of July???

oddjob2

Not worthy of it's own thread, but the first 5 blocks of Jefferson coming from GPP now is getting bike lanes and a landscaped median. Be great if it makes it to Belle Isle and downtown one day.'

Jefferson Avenue to get makeover at Detroit's border


5/29/2015

detroitjim

Nope..... still not ready yet!

My new guess for when it will be open is........ Halloween?



The Wilkins bridge is still closed ,the pavement needs to laid.

The paths asphalt is installed from the existing path (s. of Gratiot) to Wilkins.
The electrical for the lighting and security bases are only about a third of the way between Mack and Wilkins.
None of the poles for lights and security are in place.

BlazingPedals

Construction or not, I agree that for now it looks like they're building a path between some burned-out buildings and a wall. Looks like a scene from Robocop. I sure hope it'll be better when they finish.

detroitjim

Rolled passed yesterday evening before Critical Mass.

Good news! The blacktop is laid To Mack Ave. Most of the light and security poles have been installed. Some of the concrete decking for the Wilkins bridge is poured.

The only noticeably major work that needs to be done is the ramp connection between the Cut and Eastern Market at Wilkins, some landscaping, and the Wilkins bridge deck.

If equal progress is accomplished this month as last , we may get to use the new extension by Labor Day. (5 weeks from now), Yay!!!

DTownDave22

Possible! I've learned that infrastructure projects tend to be pushed back, as well as being completed later in the time range estimate than earlier.

There was however that I-696 project that was completed earlier.

It's looking like somewhere between September and November for the Dequindre Cut.

Completion of Dequindre Cut extension through Detroit's Eastern Market delayed until fall | MLive.com

The Fort St. bridge over the Rouge River I think has been delayed multiple times, from late '14, its initial completion estimation, and its most recent estimated completion date in early October '15.

In all honesty, something like the Dequindre Cut would have a greater impact in the suburbs. There is a fair number of places to ride in the road that are low to moderate in traffic as well as paths along the Riverfront.

detroitjim

No Doubt!

In the Eastern suburbs they could easily create two that would have an enormous impact.

One being a Red Run Drain pathway from Dequindre to Freedom Hill(8miles).

The other ITC corridor path (from 10 mile to 2X mile where it could nearly connect with the Macomb Orchard Trail).

detroitjim

Had the itch to check the progress.

Went down there after dark. surprised to see that most of the extension is lit. Counted only 8 poles that weren't on 6 on the Mack end and 2 south of the Wilkins bridge. The lighting under the Wilkins bridge wasn't on either. The Wilkins bridge is 90% done ,only a 20 foot section of concrete on the western approach needs to be poured. The Eastern Market street connection is nearly complete too. There is both stairs and a ramp to the Cut adjacent to Wilkins .

Kindly forgive the photo quality only had the phone camera.

Henry III

Even if they had that thing lit up like the fourth of July I wouldn't ride that unless I had a cop escort. Old vacant buildings on the sides and down from the road and sidewalk from where people can see you if anything were to happen.

detroitjim

There are security cameras monitoring the entire length of the Cut. A security patrol administered by the Riverfront Conservancy travels up and down at least once every hour.
There are emergency call boxes at regular intervals too.

The last of the vacant buildings(SW corner of the Wilkins bridge) along the Cut is being rehabilitated.

It's really not that bad . I regularly ride downtown (over 10 miles one way) to do the Slow Roll,Critical Mass ,view the Tiger game from outside the stadium, ride the Riverwalk , Dequindre Cut,and go to Ba-lyle.
Ten years ago if you told me that I'd be bicycling downtown,after dark, riding through the Cass Corridor,I'd have told you that you were EFFIN crazy!!

Things are changing down there.
I ain't going to tell you that nothing will happen to you .It's really just a matter of situational awareness.

detroitjim

Had to check the progress today.

Thought for certain that it would be officailly open by now.
The only work that needs to be done is several flags of concrete at threshold by Mack and a few security poles on the north end.
The Wilkins bridge is open along with the Cut's ramp to grade there.

Many people were already riding on it in spite of a plastic construction fencing blocking access(south of Gratiot) and having to pick up your bike over the missing cement at Mack.

Part of the DCE project is the connection to the MidTown loop . I saw them pouring the last of the widened sidewalk in front of the DMC this past Friday. So you can easily pedal from the Cut to Midtown, Wilkins to Brush to Mack to John R.

Foldy313

The extension has been more or less open since Thanksgiving. It's a great way to get to Midtown. But it's a poor way to cross Gratiot and go to the market. There is no street level access all the way from Gratiot to Wilkins, which is not only bad from an access standpoint but from a safety standpoint.
They spent a lot of money on new road crossings over the trail. I don't see why they didn't provide street level access immediately on the north side of Gratiot.