Central Avenue on Belle Isle will be temporarily closed this week while the Michigan Department of Natural Resources completes traffic pattern work to help ease road congestion on the island.
Previously a one-way road, Central Avenue is being updated to allow for two-way traffic from Picnic Way to Portage Way. Toward the east side of the island, where Central Avenue runs through Belle Isle’s scenic wet-mesic flatwoods, the road will remain one-way but will shift direction from eastbound to westbound one-way traffic. This portion of the road is seasonal and is closed annually Dec. 1 through March 31.
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“Providing additional westbound traffic from the east end of the park will support reducing traffic congestion on Riverbank, particularly at the beach area, where traffic congestion has been identified as a safety concern,” said Amanda Treadwell, urban area field planner for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, in a statement.
Central Avenue is expected to reopen with the new traffic pattern on May 29, with intermittent closures possible next week to complete parking space striping.
Other recent updates on the island include a new two-way cycling track offering continuous, separate bicycling loops that circle the entire park without crossing vehicle traffic lanes.
The updates are part of the DNR’s 2025 Belle Isle Park multimodal mobility plan to improve accessibility and public safety on the island.
For the latest updates and closures related to this project, visit michigan.gov/dnrclosures.