Detroit starts to pour concrete on Joe Louis Greenway, 27 miles of paved trails

Joe Louis Greenway will connect 4 cities, 23 neighborhoods across 27 miles of paved trail

By the time the Joe Louis Greenway is complete, you can ride from Dearborn to Highland Park as it spans four cities and dozens of neighborhoods.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The City of Detroit has started a marathon of a project as it builds 27 miles of the Joe Louis Greenway to connect four cities including Dearborn, Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park.

The first concrete of the Joe Louis Greenway was poured on Wednesday to connect more than two dozen neighborhoods after initially being delayed by rain on Tuesday.

"The Joe Louis Greenway is laying its first concrete we’ve been working really hard preparing the site laying the infrastructure cleaning up the soil," said Detroit Chief Parks Planner Dara O'Byrne.

The trail is named in honor of the boxer who got his start in Detroit in the 1930s and later become the world heavyweight champion while breaking color barriers and bringing people together. It's an appropriate honor as that's what the Greenway will do as well.

"This is a milestone to actually lay The pathway that will be biking and pedestrian trails throughout the city connecting 23 neighborhoods throughout the city of Detroit," said. Major Contracting Vice President Joe Scappaticci.

The Joe Louis Greenway will transform blighted areas and span more than 27 miles while connecting Dearborn, Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park, all while offering several unique features

"You can see all the infrastructure in place like the lighting throughout the Greenway, security systems throughout the Greenway, charging stations for your phone, there will be gathering stations with benches," O'Byrne said.

As work continues, they're hiring about 250 employees with a priority on Detroit residents.

For more details on the project and progress on the work being done on the Greenway, check out the city's website.