Project ‘Restore 94’ requires major tree clearance for highway reconstruction
As the Michigan Department of Transportation works to make necessary repairs to I-94, hundreds of trees are being removed near the Ecorse interchange.
View of trees from Ecorse Rd entrance ramp onto I-94.
Restore 94 is a recent Michigan Department of Transportation project that aims to rebuild nearly 13 miles of I-94.
MDOT’s Media Representative for the Metro Region, Diane Cross, says the project requires tree removal for full reconstruction of the Ecorse interchange.
Cross explains, “Currently, traffic comes in on the left, which is very unusual and it’s a very old style. We are going to bring that up to current industry standards… That involves rebuilding I-94 through a large, wooded median near Ecorse Road.”
MDOT already owned the patch of land where these trees were located. Cross says their plan for construction is the most time and cost effective.
There are plans to replant trees around the new roadways once construction is finished, says Cross.
“Obviously they’re not the same mature age and probably number of what we’re removing—that is a large, wooded area that has not been touched for 50 years or so—but that is now where we’re going to move the freeway through, which will make it much safer for drivers.”
This story is part of WDET’s ongoing series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project.
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