Construction is underway to turn a portion of the 42-acre former Uniroyal Tire plant site into a link of the Riverwalk that will connect downtown with Belle Isle, completing the 3.5-mile east riverfront pedestrian and bike path. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has been working on environmental cleanup of the Riverfront portion of the toxic site since 2020 and formally broke ground on the $11 million project in 2021, with completion planned for late 2022.

The future of the rest of the site is unclear, after several speculative and stalled development plans over the years. A team led by NFL Hall-of-Famer Jerome Bettis has had sole redevelopment rights since 2005. Millions have already been spent on cleanup of the former heavy industrial site, which was home to the tire plant from 1941 to 1978, as well as a rubber plant and Michigan Consolidated Gas Co.

Sources: BridgeDetroit, Crain's Detroit Business, WWJ