DETROIT – Officials with Olympia Entertainment have come up with a very interesting plan to create new space in Detroit's hottest intersection by bridging the gap.
The way things are now, there's a cut-off between Downtown and Midtown Detroit. It happens to be I-75 and the relatively narrow bridge connecting Woodward Avenue.
Olympia officials have come up with an idea to change the issue.
People in the city of Detroit want it to become a more walkable city. Officials know that with Ford Field, Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena across I-75, the narrow walkway could use some help. City officials asked for ideas on how to make it happen, so Olympia Entertainment offered an idea.
The idea is to widen the highway on each side by 60 feet, but not for automotive traffic.
The highway is controlled by the state, so instead of the city moving this along, state officials put out a request for a proposal, which is the government phrase for putting up a "help wanted" sign for a proposed project.
They called it the Fisher Freeway Downtown Crossings.
The obvious first bidder would be Olympia Entertainment to answer the state's call, and officials say its first big idea is to add shops. But the entire proposal is in the works and not entirely complete. Olympia officials aren't providing further details about what they want to build.
Since there's a request for a proposal, any number of contractors can submit proposals, so Olympia isn't likely to be the only one to try to win the project. It's a bidding process.
You can watch Rod Meloni's full story in the video posted above.