Construction begins on Second Avenue Extension in Detroit
Construction began this week in downtown Detroit on the Second Avenue Extension, a project that is set to create a roadway connecting Second Avenue to the Detroit riverfront.
The extension will create a path from Congress Street to Steve Yzerman Drive, crossing over M-10 to provide direct access to the riverfront from Second Avenue. Currently, the end of Second Avenue is about a quarter mile away from the riverfront.
The roadway, which will accommodate motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, is expected to open in summer 2026. Nearly half of the the right of way will be for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as the project is "designed with walkability in mind," Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority CEO Bryan Crowe said in a statement to The Detroit News.
The budget for the extension project is $103.9 million, and the project is being funded and developed by the DRCFA, Crowe wrote.
"For the first time, we are opening connectivity from downtown to the amazing riverfront west of Huntington Place without having to drive or walk several blocks," Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority Chair Claude Molinari said in a release on Wednesday. “This has been needed and requested for a long time and the fact that we can now get it done for the people of our great city is nothing short of inspiring.”
The extension is expected to include street lighting as well as a wide portion for pedestrian and bike paths.
Community leaders, including people from the city of Detroit, Huntington Place and the DRCFA gathered Wednesday at the Huntington Place convention center downtown to commemorate the start of construction on the project by signing a beam before it was installed. Representatives also attended from private companies including real estate advising company Plante Moran Realpoint as well as the Sterling Group, the Detroit-based developers responsible for many of the projects in the downtown Water Square area at the site of the former Joe Louis Arena.
Construction on the Second Avenue Extension project comes as the nearby area undergoes several redevelopment efforts, such as the construction of the new 25-floor, 600-room JW Marriott hotel, which will be the first hotel to directly connect to the Huntington Place convention center when it it opens in 2027. The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, another new addition to the area, is expected to open in the fall.
Other developments include The Residences at Water Square, a 25-story luxury high-rise apartment complex on Third Avenue that opened early in 2024.
"Huntington Place is buzzing right now with numerous important projects and the Second Avenue Extension, while not the most visible, is certainly one of the most important," Crowe said in a release.
amahajan1@detroitnews.com