Huntington Place Kicks Off Second Avenue Extension with Beam Signing Ceremony
Huntington Place is buzzing with activity, and one of the most exciting developments is officially underway: the construction of the Second Avenue Extension. To celebrate this major milestone, dignitaries and community leaders came together for a special beam-signing ceremony in downtown Detroit. The first beam, now in place, marks the beginning of a project that will reshape how people connect between downtown and the riverfront.
So why does this stretch of road matter so much? For the first time, Detroiters and visitors will enjoy a direct, pedestrian- and vehicle-friendly connection from Congress Street to Atwater Street, circling around Huntington Place and opening up a vital artery to the Detroit River. This new access point will seamlessly tie into some of the city’s most exciting projects, including the construction of the JW Marriott Hotel and the soon-to-open Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.
“In reality, this is a short stretch of concrete and steel, but its significance cannot be overstated,” said Claude Molinari, Chairman of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA). “For the first time, we are opening connectivity from downtown to the amazing riverfront west of Huntington Place without having to drive or walk several blocks. This has been needed and requested for a long time, and the fact that we can now get it done for the people of our great city is nothing short of inspiring.”
The project, which runs from Congress Street on the north to Steve Yzerman Drive on the south and crosses over the Lodge Freeway, is expected to open to traffic in summer 2026. Once complete, it will provide vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle-friendly access—making it easier than ever to experience Detroit’s riverfront.
“Huntington Place is buzzing right now with numerous important projects, and the Second Avenue Extension, while not the most visible, is certainly one of the most important,” said Bryan Crowe, CEO of the DRCFA and Huntington Place. “This is another milestone in our journey to provide an unsurpassed customer experience at the best convention center in the world.”
Among those attending the ceremony were Hon. David Viviano, Vice Chair of the DRCFA Board of Directors; Elie Torgow, CEO of Sterling Group; Kenneth Kucel, Deputy Group Executive Operations for the City of Detroit; Becky Bixby, Executive Director of Venue Operations at Huntington Place; and Dustin DiNicola, Senior Consultant at Plante Moran Realpoint, along with representatives from partner companies.
The Plante Moran Realpoint team is managing the Second Avenue project along with several other key Huntington Place initiatives, including the Sky Bridge Connector, which will link the new JW Marriott directly to the convention center. Other partners in the project include Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick, Inc. (AEW), Mannik Smith Group, C.A. Hull, and Dan’s Excavating.
Stay tuned—by 2026, downtown Detroit and its riverfront will be more connected than ever.