Southwest Greenway opens in Corktown

A new connector for bikes and pedestrians has opened just west of downtown. The Southwest Greenway will connect Roosevelt Park and Michigan Central in Corktown to the under-construction Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park along the West Riverfront on West Jefferson. 

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy hosted city, county, state, and philanthropic partners to a ribbon-cutting event to open the new greenway.

$5 million of the $8 million it took to build the greenway is coming from Ford, who's currently transforming Michigan Central Station and the surrounding area into a mobility campus. The Southwest Greenway technically starts at the Bagley Mobility Hub, but there is a walkway to the campus across the street.

“We are proud to partner with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and Mayor Duggan to create a public space for the community to enjoy,” said Mary Culler, Chair of Michigan Central and President of Ford Motor Company Fund. “The Southwest Greenway will connect Detroit to all that we are building at Michigan Central and will help strengthen community bonds by joining the west side, east side, and northern neighborhoods of our city.”

The Southwest Greenway is also a part of the 27.5-mile Joe Louis Greenway, currently under construction. The Joe Louis Greenway includes parcels that are already finished, like the Dequindre Cut and the Riverwalk, to additional pieces planned and under construction throughout Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Dearborn. 

In addition to the Ralph C. Wilson Park, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is also working on the connector from the Riverwalk to Belle Isle at the former Uniroyal site, which should open this fall. 

Below is a below and after of a portion of the Southwest Greenway. Photos provided by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.