The state of Michigan is moving forward with plans to replace the I-375 freeway with an urban boulevard in order to provide easier access between adjacent areas of Detroit.

The project will advance to the design phase this spring after the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) concluded its environmental review process.

According to a news release from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office, during construction of I-375 over 50 years ago, prominent Black neighborhoods in the area—Black Bottom and Paradise Valley—were demolished to make way for the freeway at the time. The state of Michigan says the freeway opened in 1964 and created a barrier between the central business district in Detroit and the neighborhoods to the east. Several blocks of commercial and residential buildings were also leveled to make way for the freeway and urban renewal.