(WXYZ) — After the sale of a parcel of land to Grosse Pointe Park, the city of Detroit has worked out a deal to eliminate a physical barrier that separates the two cities.
The city council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a proposal to reopen the area to two-way traffic. The intersection is set to reopen Aug. 1.
According to meeting documents, the city of Detroit's Planning & Development Department and the city of Grosse Pointe Park have agreed to reopen Kercheval Avenue to two-way traffic, and the "potential to redevelop certain areas at the boarder of both cities along Kercheval Avenue between Alter Road and Wayburn."
The barrier at the intersection of Kercheval Avenue and Alter Road is symbolic, according to Detroit. Removing it would end long-simmering racial tensions between the wealthier and majority white city of Grosse Pointe Park and majority black Detroit.
The physical separation of the cities was erected in 2014 after Grosse Pointe Park began closing off vehicle traffic with a large barn and then large planters.
