The city of Detroit’s TIGER III $25.7 grant request is a work in progress, but this agenda item for an upcoming city council meeting is revealing:

Submitting reso. autho. to endorse TIGER III Grant Application to USDOT for approximately $25.7 million in funding for the Link Detroit! Multi-Modal Enhancement Plan. (Public Works Department intends to submit an application for funding to construct a series of multi-modal infrastructure improvements to create a fully functional transportation system through the Midtown area to Eastern Market continuing on to the Detroit Riverwalk and into the heart of Downtown, collectively called Link Detroit! Multimodal Enhancement Plan.)

So just what are those multi-modal infrastructure improvements?

There are basically five which all tie together:

• Streetscape improvements in Eastern Market
• Construction of a Dequindre Cut extension from Gratiot to Mack with a formal entrance in to Eastern Market. As mentioned earlier, this will be a rail with trail non-motorized pathway.
• Replacement of bridges over this new section of the Cut
• Bike lane, path, and sidewalk connections from the Dequindre Cut extension to Hamtramck
• A Midtown Loop connector between Eastern Market and Midtown

As you can see, getting funding to complete these projects would provide major walk and bike connections to Eastern Market, the RiverWalk, Midtown, and Hamtramck. It would be absolutely huge.

TIGER III grants are due at the end of this month and it is quite competitive. $547 million will be granted.

Keep your hands up for Detroit — and your fingers crossed.

Detroit RiverWalk

More sections of the RiverWalk should be under construction come next spring. That includes segments on both sides of Chene Park and the critical connection between Mt. Elliott Park and Gabriel Richard Park at the foot of the bridge to Belle Isle.

Mt. Elliott park is getting a new universal recreation play structure that includes a super cool water feature.

Gabriel Richard Park is getting a parking lot.

And the grassy land just north of the Wheelhouse Detroit is getting a children’s playground.

It’s not too late to buy tickets for the Shimmer on the River event, a fundraiser for the RiverWalk.

Today’s Crain’s Detroit Business has an article which includes more details on this exciting news.

Dequindre Cut

The Dequindre Cut rail corridor north of Gratiot is not only active but privately owned. The city of Detroit has been negotiating with the owner to acquire the property while allowing them to keep their rails, which are mostly used to railcar storage. The city is getting closer to finalizing the deal.

Once purchased, the trail will switch over to the west side of the Cut at Gratiot and continue north to Mack. The rails will remain on the east side of the Cut and will be fenced off. There will also be trail connection into Eastern Market near Wilkins and near the Greening of Detroit’s urban agriculture demonstration area.

The city will likely apply for significant grant funding this fall to build this extension, as well as complete some Eastern Market streetscaping, build a bike/walk connection to the Midtown Loop, add bikes lanes to Hamtramck, and repair the bridges over the Cut.

Midtown Loop

The last we knew, construction for Phase II of the Midtown Loop will begin this fall. That includes the sections along Canfield and Cass.

Conner Creek Greenway

The next segment to be built will run from Eight Mile to McNichols along Conner Avenue. It includes new sidewalk, bike lanes and bike route signs. That won’t likely begin until next year.

The Associated Press is reporting on the DNR’s plans to build an adventure and discovery center in the historic Globe Building located on the Dequindre Cut and Detroit RiverWalk.

Anthes said the DNR is aiming to open the activity center in the fall of 2012, and it’s working with the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. and the developer, Troy-based Labor Management Fund Advisors. The developer is seeking at least one more occupant for the remainder of the building, and is working out financing for the balance of the project.

Besides the rock-climbing wall and zip lines, planners also envision an interpretive forest, archery range and classroom space in the gutted but structurally sound building. Anthes said they also are considering a kayak simulation ride as a rider might have on the river across the street.

Anthes said they haven’t found anything quite like it nationally, and it makes sense to create such a center in the largest city of the Great Lakes State.

Perhaps the most exciting new information is the anticipated opening date of fall 2012.

As we’ve said before, this project will bring tremendous value to this area and these trails. It will become a major destination for Detroiters as well as tourists.

There are two previous m-bike articles from 2010 that discussed the globe building and grant funding.

The train display at the Detroit Historical Museum has a unique miniature billboard.

It’s for the Dequindre Cut, which is a little ironic since that’s a rail-to-trail conversion. Even still, it is a neat local touch.

Just to the right is another billboard for the classic Hitchcock movie, North by Northwest.

In November, the Federal Highway Administration announced the 2010 Transportation Planning Excellence Awards. These awards are given to recognize “outstanding initiatives across the country to develop, plan, and implement innovative transportation planning practices. ”

The Dequindre Cut and MDOT received an honorable mention in the Livability/Sustainability category.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) transformed the Dequindre Cut, a formerly overgrown abandoned railroad corridor, into a 1.35-mile recreational trail for walking and bicycle use. Serving over 100,000 residents, the Dequindre Cut provides a safe and vital non-motorized connection from popular destinations in downtown Detroit to the beautiful Detroit Riverfront and Harbor.

Transformation of the Dequindre Cut involved extensive community input, and involved a number of private and not-for-profit entities. The Downtown Detroit Partnership led a public involvement, visioning, and planning process to gather input from nearby neighborhoods on how the “Cut” could be transformed and opened to the public. Residents toured the site, discussed options, and provided feedback on conceptual designs, including the popular decision to preserve existing graffiti art along the bridge abutments.

Through the efforts of the public, nonprofit, and private partners, this project transformed a forgotten, unused corridor into a natural greenway for public use, promoting physical activity, and offering residents and visitors a unique experience within the urban framework of Detroit.

That’s great, but we wish it not be labeled a recreational trail? That label might lead one to believe it’s just about recreation, which certainly isn’t the case. Generally speaking, trails that are loops within parks are recreational trails.

One of the award winners was New York City’s commitment to build 200 miles of bike lanes.

In June 2009, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) fulfilled its commitment by building 204.8 lane-miles of bicycle facilities in all five boroughs, doubling the number of on-street bicycle facilities and bringing the total mileage of bicycle facilities to over 600 lane-miles.

The 200 lane-mile project is an unprecedented expansion of the city’s bicycle infrastructure that radically improves the quality of the streets of the Nation’s most densely populated city. The 200 lane-miles included the execution of 88 separate projects on scores of unique street segments. To accommodate the vastly different street conditions, NYCDOT’s planning and design staff utilized innovative designs, such as protected bicycle paths, which position cyclists between the curb and the parking lane, the first of their kind in the United States.

Before-and-after data from the protected paths proves their safety benefits: up to 56 percent reductions in all injuries along the project corridors, up to 29 percent reductions in pedestrian accidents, and up to 57 percent reductions in cyclist accidents. Data from the 9th Avenue and Grand Street protected paths shows an 84 percent reduction in illegal sidewalk riding.

That’s so impressive given the value of road real estate in NYC.

While the city of Detroit has a commitment to build 400 miles of bike lanes, there is no time commitment.