Floats, marchers and pinch points?
This year, America’s Thanksgiving Parade, which is less than two weeks away, will include something new as a result of the M-1 Rail construction.
At three different locations along the Woodward Avenue route, the parade, for the first time in its history, will narrow so it can move past heavy construction areas for the streetcar project. The areas are called pinch points and will mean some viewing obstructions in those areas, including Jersey barriers and fencing. M-1, which expects to begin operations in late 2016, plans to have personnel monitoring the areas to make sure the barriers remain intact and help protect pedestrians.
Officials with both M-1 and the Parade Company point to the Herculean efforts that have been undertaken to minimize the impact on one of Detroit’s signature events, which steps off at Kirby and Woodward at 8:50 a.m. Nov. 27. They also promise that once the project is complete, Detroiters and the world will see an updated and improved Woodward Avenue.
The “M-1 Rail streetcar is going to (do) nothing more than continue to accelerate the growth and vibrance that you’ve seen up and down the corridor,” said M-1 Chief Operating Officer Paul Childs. “In order for us to do this, unfortunately, there has to be some disruption, and we’re doing our best to minimize this disruption.”
Construction of the M-1 Rail continues Tuesday on Woodward in the Brush Park neighborhood in Detroit.(Photo: Diane Weiss Detroit Free Press)
Tony Michaels, president and CEO of the Parade Company, called the preparations with M-1 officials over the past two years a great partnership.
“They’ve been unbelievably understanding … knowing what this parade means to this city,” Michaels said. “Everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s together.”
The pinch points are from Putnam to Warren, where the parade will travel on the east side of Woodward; Alexandrine to Watson, where the parade will travel on the west side of Woodward, and Winder to Montcalm, where the parade will travel on the east side of Woodward including on the I-75 overpass. In those areas, the work zones are on the opposite side of the road from where the parade travels. Although viewing is possible on the parade-route sides of Woodward in much of the pinch point areas, no viewing is allowed on the I-75 overpass.
“All ‘pinch point’ areas will be completed at Montcalm and Woodward, the site of Hockeytown Cafe. The remainder of the route is open and construction-free,” according to the Parade Company.
The pinch points also will affect the Turkey Trot 5K and 10K races before the parade, although the race routes are not limited to Woodward.
Childs estimated about two-thirds of the more than two-mile route will offer obstruction-free viewing. Officials noted that the pinch point areas will be wide enough to accommodate all of the floats.
For parade-watchers who want to ensure they have a prime viewing area, about 10,000 tickets are being sold for seating at various locations, from a $35 spot at Kirby, where the parade starts, to $55 for a Hard Rock Cafe breakfast and grandstand seating near Campus Martius.
As the parade date approaches, M-1 crews are in the finishing stages of much of their road and drainage work in downtown Detroit south of Adams Street. That area has been closed but would reopen after the parade. Areas south of Adams will be asphalted with concrete-encased manholes, while areas north will be all concrete when the project is complete.
Childs said crews will be moving dozens of signs and hundreds of barrels before the parade and cleaning up the route in the next two weeks. Some temporary concrete will also be in place in the center of Woodward in an area near the start of the parade route, Childs said. That’s an area where DTE Energy is putting in pipes to prepare for future utility needs and will provide a “less-snaking path” for parade participants.
Michaels said the lengthy preparations should ensure a positive experience for parade-goers.
“Everything is completely planned out for that morning. We want to make this great for every single person who comes downtown to take in this great events,” he said.
