Gibbs isn’t working on a solution alone. He’s brought in a pair of international traffic consultants, Peter Swift from Colorado (who spent time in Iraq, working to rebuild that country’s infrastructure) and Rick Chellman from New Hampshire. He’s also consulting with Mike Lydon, a bike transport expert and one of the originators of “tactical urbanism.”

The goal is to change Woodward from a highway back into an avenue. In the urban planning business, these are two very different things. Highways, Gibbs explains, are high-speed and intended only for cars. Avenues handle the same number of cars per day, but the speeds are lower, and are intended for mixed-use.

Thus, the vision is for Woodward Avenue to live up to its name and be usable not just for cars, but for bicycles, pedestrians, and public transport as well. How to get there? “Traffic calming” is the term that Gibbs throws out. Slowing traffic speeds will be accomplished by widening sidewalks, narrowing the car lanes slightly by installing dedicated bike lanes, and planting trees in the medians and along the sides of the road. Trees serve three purposes. One, it gives pedestrians a sense of safety to have trees between them and the road. Two, the trees make the road look narrower, thus getting drivers to slow down. Three, the trees provide shade, visual interest, and environmental relief by cutting down noise, heat, and smog. The center of Woodward, Gibbs adds, will be where they plan to run the public transport, at this point projected to be a BRT, or Bus Rapid Transit system, similar to the “bus trolleys” that currently run in Toronto and other major cities. In the final stages, the bike lane will be separated from the road by a low, protective curb. (See Figure 1)

How does an urban planner figure out what should go where? Gibbs gives me an example of a small part of the project. He shows a photo of the corner of southbound Woodward and 10 Mile. The right turn lane onto 10 Mile has been painted over in red. “We counted less than 200 cars a day using this lane.” Gibbs says. “So we’re recommending getting rid of it.” This will narrow the road from four lanes to three, making pedestrian crossings there shorter and safer. They’ll implement the changes in stages, studying the effects on traffic as they go. The first step here would be to conduct detailed research and engineering and block off the lane with portable barriers. If there are no problems, the lanes will be painted out. (See Figures 2 and 3) The final stage will be to extend the curb outward, physically eliminating the lane. They plan on beginning the first stage as early as September, when summer vacation ends and traffic patterns return to normal. Phase two could start as early as next spring.

I spoke by phone with Deborah Schutt, Executive Director of The Woodward Avenue Action Association, and leader of the vision of making Woodward into a true avenue once more. As she explained to me, though, that vision goes much further than a few intersections. There’s a plan in place to remake Woodward all the way from downtown Detroit to downtown Pontiac, connecting city to suburbs with continuous public transport, bike lanes, and a safer, better-designed roadway lined with new shops.

“We need a more holistic and complete street that serves everybody,” She says. MDoT’s master plan for “Complete Streets” has been approved, in concept, by all of the cities along the route. The big remaining hurdle is getting together the funding, but that’s a problem with any large project. The time frame for the whole project? Twenty years.

Back in the office of Robert Gibbs, he shows me the final jewel in the crown, the ultimate goal of his plan. The Woodward underpass will be eliminated, (See Figure 4) and the street will flow above, with buildings on both sides of the street, built above I-696. (See Figure 5) “The goal is for people to not even know there’s a freeway running below them.” He shows me a photo of a similar project recently completed in Columbus, Ohio.

Picture it in your mind’s eye — families walking up to the zoo, couples riding bikes into downtown Royal Oak, a senior group taking a trip on a trolley bus to the ballpark. From a highway to an avenue, connecting Detroit with its suburbs. A pleasant Main Street for all of Michigan, a road that’s usable, and enjoyable, by all.