Dequindre Cut

The Dequindre Cut is a below-grade pathway, formerly a Grand Trunk Western Railroad line, located on the east side of Detroit, Michigan, just west of St. Aubin Street. Much of the Cut has been converted to a greenway; the colorful graffiti along the pathway has been left in place.

The railroad line that once ran through the Dequindre Cut runs roughly northwest/southeast at street level through Hamtramck and on to Royal Oak. The Cut begins south of Mack Avenue and runs along the east edge of the Eastern Market. The grade separation gradually increases heading south. It eventually reaches and stays 25 feet beneath grade until it enters the riverfront area south of Jefferson Avenue.

A substantial portion of the Cut has been converted into a greenway. The greenway runs from Mack Avenue south to Woodbridge Street, between Jefferson Avenue and the Detroit River. The Dequindre Trail connects the Cut between Woodbridge Street and the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor along the International Riverfront.

The greenway currently houses a paved path with separate lanes for both pedestrians and bicycles. Access ramps to the Cut have been constructed at Lafayette Street, Gratiot Avenue, and Wilkins Street. Graffiti on the bridge abutments along the trail were intentionally left in place during the construction of the greenway. Construction project manager Michael Dempsey said in 2007, "Unless it is obscene or offensive, our policy is to leave it in place. We also want to encourage new works to the extent that the artists are willing to do that – as long as they pick up their aerosol cans after themselves!"

The rail line was built in the 1830s by the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad, a predecessor of Canadian National Railway subsidiary Grand Trunk Western Railroad. By the 1920s, there were over 400 industries operating on Detroit's east side. However, the combination of the city's haphazard street plan, the expansion of large factories, and the substantial network of rail tracks conspired to slow traffic within the city, particularly in the east-west direction. In 1923, the city of Detroit and the railroad began a plan to build 22 grade separations; both parties agreed to share the cost.

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