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Bridge owner has big plans for border


Ramcharger

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Bridge owner has big plans for border

Check out the graphic associated with this article. Apparently Matty Moroun wants the city to sell him Riverside Park and allow him to build a road through Hart Plaza and along the west riverfront. The terrible thing is that the city is so desperate for money, Kwame is considering it!

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Bridge owner has big plans for border

Check out the graphic associated with this article. Apparently Matty Moroun wants the city to sell him Riverside Park and allow him to build a road through Hart Plaza and along the west riverfront. The terrible thing is that the city is so desperate for money, Kwame is considering it!

There are a few economic cookies thrown in this deal but all in all, I have to say this is a horrible idea.

Why?

-Tunnel users will have to be routed away from downtown.

-Road will be right on the river front (did we not just spend 5 years fixing the riverfront?)

-a high volume of traffic on the riverfront road.

-this road would be limited access. This would make it very difficult to execute the west river-front plan. You will essentially have a secure barrier that will have to be bridged to allow for pedestrian access to the river. I don't see that functioning as well as a nicely landscaped boulevard as has been planned.

I hate this idea. I think it would be one great leap for matty and 2 steps back for detroit.

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You would think a man of his age, in the twilight of his life, would try and leave a positive mark on the city, since money isn't supposed to mean much to him in his late age anymore, and then he comes up with this obviously faulty idea.

A two-lane secure road on the West Riverfront?! Isn't that exactly the kind of thing we are trying to get away from? Doesn't it go completely against all of the currently planned developments for the West Riverfront. I hope I'm right about this, but this isn't going to work.

I must say that the addition of retail (if even big box) and jobs sound enticing, but not at the expense of letting build his "Money Trail" as I want to call it.

BTW, why are they even talking with WalMart? Is Meijer that hell-bent on not building in Detroit that he wouldn't try an urban concept store in Detroit? Heck, where is Target of the new Sears/Kmart concepts?

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I must say that the addition of retail (if even big box) and jobs sound enticing, but not at the expense of letting build his "Money Trail" as I want to call it.

I think the 30 million, the "retail" and the marine terminal are all pretty much aimed at swaying city leaders away from the real issue here. Imagine if MM only proposed the road! No way in hell does anyone allow it.

If I'm the city, i say, ok, you can build your dumb little road... but it will be underground (similar to I-93 in downtown boston) and you will pay for a riverside boulevard and park on the west riverfront consistant with that propsed on by the Detroit River conservancy.

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Now if this road is to run from the tunnel to the bridge without any way to get on or off of it where is it gonna go? There isnt enough room down there to add a 2 lane road without destroying what we already have down at the river. I would like to see the tunnel area redone though. It could use a modern makeover, perhaps tearing down the garage right there as well and making everything nicer.

I think Kwame is gonna push this hard because he wants that 30 million as a quick fix for his budget.

If I'm the city, i say, ok, you can build your dumb little road... but it will be underground (similar to I-93 in downtown boston) and you will pay for a riverside boulevard and park on the west riverfront consistant with that propsed on by the Detroit River conservancy.

Now were talking.

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I think the 30 million, the "retail" and the marine terminal are all pretty much aimed at swaying city leaders away from the real issue here. Imagine if MM only proposed the road! No way in hell does anyone allow it.

If I'm the city, i say, ok, you can build your dumb little road... but it will be underground (similar to I-93 in downtown boston) and you will pay for a riverside boulevard and park on the west riverfront consistant with that propsed on by the Detroit River conservancy.

Yeah, I know that the retail and terminal are aimed at swaying already greedy city leaders that would sell their city to the devil if he promised a new office park downtown. I'm just hoping that these plans are worked out. And if they can't that the project be dropped all together. To think that Matty is going to railroad through a secure-access road right on the western riverfront (planned PUBLIC land) he much be crazy or just plain senile in his old age.

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This road between the bridge and the turnnel is so wrong on so many levels...

I mean what purpose is this road for someone who come to Detroit from Winsor via the tunnel only to then drive to the bridge to go back to Winsor?

I know I've probably over simplified what someone would do. But come on... Putting what amounts to an express lane between the two will be just that. If they want to actually do something in downtown, they could easily take I-75/Lodge to downtown, not to mention the side streets that are already available via Mexican Town.

Can this town really come up with nothing better than a road on some of its most valuable land?

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And not just a road, but a heavily fortified, bunker-like road right on the riverfront? If this must be done, they better look into doing this underground, which while a lot more expensive would be much more acceptable than further cutting off the riverfront which is proposed as public land. Didn't the city learn from Jefferson, and all of the other buker-style developments on the riverfront (i.e. Harbortown, Riverfront Towers...)?

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By the way, if this border is so important as a major econimic life line between the two countries with border security implecation to the "war on terror", why isn't it the federal government that's setting up the new inspection facilities and what not?

Privatization can be wonderful, but I'm not sure if this is one of the cases where it makes sense.

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I don't care that the road would be below grade. It's still going to be right on the riverfront. It's still going to divert traffic away from downtown, and it's going to be a major inconvenice for users of the tunnel who are visiting or working in downtown.

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Where are the engineering and environmental impact studies that show that this "below grade" road is even feasible? They don't exist because what is proposed is not possible at any reasonable cost. Matty's people are making promises they never intend to keep just to get the city to sign on the dotted line.

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