New Southwest Greenway will connect Detroit neighborhoods, Michigan Central Station, Riverfront

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Work has started on a new path that will connect Detroit even more.

The Southwest Greenway will link Michigan Central Station, Corktown, Southwest Detroit, and the Riverfront. 

"One of the things that's going to be critical is that everybody has access to this Greenway, that even if you're someone who isn't able to get on a bike, who isn't able to walk but wants to actually enjoy the Greenway -- we want to work on those mobility solutions to actually give them access to the Greenway," Mary Culler, the chair of Michigan Central.

The planned Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park will be connected as well.

"To see what we've done here that I had no idea, even in my dreams, and I'm an inventor" said Frank Venegas Jr., the chairman and CEO of Ideal Group. "What you have done here is absolutely incredible."

Ford is just one of the companies contributing millions to make it happen. A public private-partnership that has the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Transportation heavily involved.

"I think it's going to be a transformational project that we're all going to come down and look at and think, 'Wow - this is what Detroit's all about - this is what partnership means.' And we couldn't be more excited," Culler said.

It's a project expected to impact many.

"The Detroit Riverfront means a great deal to a lot of people, and this was evident last year when USA declared us the best riverwalk in America, and I have to agree with them," said Mark Wallace, the president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.