DETROIT -- After kicking off construction last year for a new downtown pedestrian plaza with seating and possibly space for food trucks, the city is planning to have it up and running by Tigers Opening Day.

The city planned to make the busy intersection at Gratiot Avenue and Randolph Street more pedestrian-friendly by reducing crosswalk distances and closing off Macomb Street vehicle traffic for the new 13,000-square-foot plaza.

The $60,000 plaza is expected to include food trucks on Macomb Street and outdoor seating, just a few blocks west of Greektown and south of Comerica Park, according to Ron Brundidge, Public Works Department director.

The area has been filled with work crews all week and a spokesman for the mayor said the city hopes to have it ready by April 7 for the Detroit Tigers' home opener against the Boston Red Sox.

Large orange barricades that have been surrounding the site for months were being removed and replaced with concrete berms Wednesday.

"Prior to activating the space on Opening Day, we will be installing large planters inside the curb to maximize safety as well as improving the landscape of the space," Brundidge said in an email.

New traffic signals and pavement markings were also being installed to "maximize safe pedestrian crossing on both Gratiot and Randolph streets," Brundidge added.

After launching the project in November 2016, the city closed parts of Randolph Street to reconfigure driving lanes and simplify traffic flow.

"The current alignment of this intersection requires four different traffic signal phases and indirect crosswalks, resulting in longer wait times for pedestrians," Brundidge said when the project was announced.

"This is a great opportunity for us to rethink this intersection and redesign it in a way that simplifies traffic movement and encourages more pedestrian use and outdoor activity."

The project was developed through a partnership with the Downtown Development Partnership and the Michigan Department of Transportation.