Bridge Proposal Hits Home in Delray

Today fewer than 3,000 people live in the Delray section of southwest Detroit.  That’s down from about 23,000 in the 1930s.

Reverend Steven Archer has been a pastor in Delray for 14 years.  He told us, “Delray is an old part of the city.  It’s an area that’s had its heyday.  It’s now had a number of difficulties.  One of the things that Delray is suffering from is, as the population decreases, it is harder and harder to maintain services to the neighborhood.

The Village of Delray was annexed to Detroit in 1905.  Over the years, chemical plants and industrial facilities sprouted up in the midst of residential areas.  But businesses have closed and families have left.

The Metro Times has even called Delray, “The closest thing to a ghost town within a city.”

There are few pedestrians or cars on the streets of Delray.  But there are plenty of trucks.

According to Rev. Archer, “The constant flow of trucks in southwest Detroit has become a big issue.  Even with the completion of the Gateway project we still have a large truck traffic down here.”

Many of those trucks are headed to Canada.  The proposed new bridge would land in Delray.  So the bridge has become the subject of much discussion in the neighborhood.

Rev. Archer says there are regular meetings several times a year. “We’ve had 400 and 500 people at each meeting and they discuss things that they think they need and would be helpful to the neighborhood.”

In other words, if there is going to be a bridge, Delray says it must be a “Bridge with Benefits!”

Rev. Archer says, “It’s been a growing process, a learning process and an experience where we ask more questions and got more information.  We find out ways that it can truly benefit us and make our position and our neighborhood a much better place.”

But for now, progress in Delray is at a standstill.  Development has stopped while the bridge issue continues to be debated.

Rev. Archer says the decision needs to be made sooner rather than later, “Sooner is essential.  First off, the community continues to languish, so you’re not going to help anybody by not building the bridge. And businesses, the economy of the state of Michigan, the economy of the city of Detroit, all need this bridge and it’s really very important.”