Joe Louis Greenway expands on west side

Detroit officials have opened up a new section of the Joe Louis Greenway. 

About two miles of the greenway’s new additions are spread throughout the city’s west side, running from Joy Road to Chicago Street.   A sculpture of Joe Louis was also unveiled at the trailhead of this section near Grand River and Oakman.

District 7 City Councilman Fred Durhal says the greenway expansion will help bring city residents together. 

“What this project means for our community here is connectivity.  Connectivity to our lives.  Opportunity for our youth, for our seniors—all to come together in a healthy way.”

Mayor Mike Duggan also attended Tuesday's event.  He says the greenway is making a visible difference in city neighborhoods, adding that the name of the project makes sense for Detroit. 

“Whose name could possibly be great enough—whose impact in the city could be great enough that would affect and do justice?  And it wasn’t a hard decision at all.  And so to recognize Joe Louis forever—as my friend Joyce said— 'you named a hockey arena after him and you knocked it down, but greenways are forever.'” 

Duggan says about 6 miles of greenway have been completed and another 6 miles are under construction.  The entire project, when finished, should cover about 27 miles. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, October 8, 2025

• Former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick has died at the age of 80. She served as one of Detroit’s representatives in Congress from 1997 until 2011.  Before that Cheeks Kilpatrick was a member of the state House from 1979 until 1997.  She was also the mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
• Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed the state budget into law. The $81 billion budget includes more money for roads, and a larger wholesale tax on marijuana.  The marijuana tax has been increased to 24% as part of a deal to raise funds for road construction and maintenance. In a video statement, Whitmer says students will benefit from the new budget, too.
• Detroit’s three casinos brought in $98.9 million in revenue last month.  That’s down about 3% from September 2024. The casinos paid $16.1 million in wagering taxes and other fees to the City of Detroit in September.  They paid another $8 million to the State of Michigan last month.
• The Detroit Tigers are fighting to stay alive in the American League Divisional Series. They lost to the Seattle Mariners yesterday 8 – 4.  The Mariners lead the best-of-five series two games to one.  That means Detroit will be eliminated if they lose another game. The Tigers and the Mariners play game four this afternoon at Comerica Park.  

The Detroit Evening Report is a three-minute daily round-up of the news that city residents need to know. Stories focus on the concerns, problems, passions and needs of Detroiters – specifically residents of color. On the weekends, we take a break from the news and spend some time with community members. Hosted by Sascha Raiyn, Jerome Vaughn, Tia Graham, Nargis Rahman, and Hernz Laguerre, Jr. Detroit Evening Report is a production of WDET, Detroit's NPR Station.