John Gallagher

Detroit Free Press

The formal opening Friday of the Dequindre Cut extension does more than add a half-mile addition to the popular strolling and bicycle path. It also marks the latest in Detroit’s growing network of greenways and bike lanes that is making non-motorized transportation a reality in the Motor City.

The expanded Dequindre Cut links into the Midtown Loop of bike lanes and wider sidewalks and one day will connect to the planned Inner Circle Greenway, about 20 miles of non-motorized paths circling greater downtown along mostly unused railroad right-of-way lines.

The city also is expanding its pilot program of protected bicycle lanes along East Jefferson and Livernois, separating bikers from motor vehicle traffic. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy also is working on its next link to expand the city's award-winning RiverWalk.

Talks are even underway to see if the planned Gordie Howe International Bridge to be built between Detroit and Windsor can include bicycle lanes, which would allow recreational and commuting biking across the border.

Taken together, all the efforts demonstrate that Detroit has embraced the idea that giving residents safe, accessible pathways that don’t rely on motor vehicles will pay benefits in health, civic well-being, and economic development.

"It tells how serious the city of Detroit is about building a city that's more friendly, more walkable," said Todd Scott, executive director of the Detroit Greenways Coalition. "The connections are starting to happen. A lot more of these trails are starting to connect up, and you can actually go longer distances and get different places. It's exciting."

Tom Woiwode, director of the greenways initiative for the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Detroit-based philanthropic group that bankrolls the creation of greenways, echoed that.

"You can quickly see a network that will reach all the neighborhoods in Detroit and of course beyond," he said.

The half-mile-long addition to the Dequindre Cut extension between Gratiot and Mack opens with a ribbon-cutting Friday afternoon and a series of public events Saturday.

The Dequindre Cut ultimately will link to other greenways under development and connect users to Midtown and to Hamtramck. Upgrades to this area include the reconstruction of the Wilkins, Adelaide and Division street bridges and the removal of the bridge over Alfred Street. A new ramp from the Dequindre Cut to Wilkins Street leads to a small plaza with seating and bike parking.

Proponents of greenways point to many benefits, including more recreational opportunities that promote better health. Greenways also lessen pollution by providing non-motorized transit options. And greenways serve to connect the city's many diverse neighborhoods.

"More than anything, it's important for the communities to appreciate the benefits that these kind of investments provide, both at the neighborhood level and the citywide level," Woiwode said.

Greenways like the Dequindre Cut and the RiverWalk, he said, are "economic development strategies; they're social and cultural development strategies; they're obviously transportation corridors in addition to the recreational opportunities. These can truly transform neighborhoods and the way we think about the community that we live in."

The new extension of the Dequindre Cut cost about $5 million, paid for with a series of grants from various sources. Like the existing Dequindre Cut that runs between Atwater and Gratiot, the extension offers paved pathways for walkers and bikers, a variety of benches and other amenities, graffiti along the walls that line the cut and landscaping.

Previously vacant buildings in the Eastern Market district that run alongside the extension are already undergoing renovation work.

The City of Detroit has been working on an application this week for a TIGER grant, federal transportation-related money that would allow the construction of the Inner Circle Greenway, a planned loop carved out of old railroad right-of-way lines around the greater downtown. If the grant is approved, the Inner Circle Greenway could be open sometime in 2018.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the public is invited to a celebration along the Dequindre Cut sponsored by the Community Foundation. Activities are scheduled to include music and entertainment, food trucks, Rickshaw Detroit Pedicab rides, Greening of Detroit garden tours and activities and presentations about walking and cycling opportunities from the Detroit Greenways Coalition, Tour de Troit, Back Alley Bikes, Slow Roll and more.

Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.