DETROIT (WXYZ) — Saturday morning, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy will be celebrating the completion of the 3.5-mile stretch of the East Riverfront. A grand opening is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Overall, the conservancy said $300 million has been invested into the East Riverfront.
Saturday, a newly constructed half-mile stretch of riverwalk will be revealed and made accessible. It's the old Uniroyal Tire factory site.
James Cadariu, who runs and bikes the Detroit Riverwalk, said he’s more than familiar with the cleanup efforts at the site, which dead ends at Mount Elliot Park.
“Well, it’s crazy because my grandfather worked here, and I’ve been sort of familiar with the history," he told 7 Action News.
Under the guidance of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the newly constructed half-mile stretch is coming to life. It will allow Ilene Hughes and her sister Joan to continue their riverfront walks all the way to Belle Isle Park.
“It’s great to see the progress Detroit has made over the years," Hughes told 7 Action News.
The new stretch connects Mount Elliot Park to Gabriel Richard Park and the MacArthur (or Belle Isle) Bridge.
Mark Wallace, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, told 7 Action News, "So, this was a very industrial area. This was closed to the public for over a hundred years."
"We’re so excited to start to see families and kids and senior citizens come down here and use this as a way they can move around the city," he continued.
Wallace said getting to this point took overcoming a number of obstacles from site ownership challenges to contamination remediation. The conservancy said it was an $11 million investment for the Uniroyal portion.
After 20 years of the conservancy's existence, another stretch is complete.
“I’m just anxious to see the walk and to be able to walk there and see if I can make it across the bridge,” Hughes said.
Cadariu said, “It’s just a beautiful part of the city. So, it’s just alive. It’s different every day. I love seeing the people out here just using this space too.”
