PEA Attends Fort Street Bridge Park Groundbreaking

On October 9, 2019, the PEA team, Friends of the Rouge River (FOTR), and Fort Rouge Gateway Coalition (FRoG) celebrated the groundbreaking for the Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park in Detroit.

The date of the groundbreaking was significant as it marked the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Rouge River fire. Additionally, the groundbreaking commemorated another milestone of the transformation of the Rouge River corridor over the last 50 years to the waterway that now supports wildlife habitat and provides recreational opportunities. The park itself will serve as a prominent node at the intersection of several regional trails, including the Rouge River Water Trail, Iron Belle Trail, and the Downriver Linked Greenways. The interpretive park also recognizes the historical significance of the recently replaced Fort Street Bridge over the Rouge River.

PEA, Inc. collaborated with Fort-Rouge Gateway (FRoG) and MotorCities National Heritage Area on the design of the new park, which will include sculptural elements created from steel recycled from the historic bridge, a water feature, gathering plaza, stormwater management demonstration areas, habitat enhancements, and interpretive signage related to the 1932 Hunger March on the historic bridge.

Through an extended fundraising campaign, a time and resource contribution by PEA, and the hard work and collaboration of numerous Detroit community and non-profit groups – we are happy to announce Fort Street Bridge Inceptive Park is officially being built!