Construction Update

december 2024 update

Crews have made tremendous progress this summer and fall at each of the four zones within Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park.

Here’s a quick look at the progress: At the Delta Dental Play Garden, foundations for the last two play structures have been poured. The water tank for the fountains at the Gilbert Family Foundation Water Wonderland has also been installed.

The cover for the large skylight at the William Davidson Sport House has been placed and the concrete floor has been poured. The playing surface will be installed in the spring.

Grading of the DTE Foundation Hill and open green space close to Rosa Parks Boulevard continues and tree planting began in early November.

Final shaping of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Water Garden is complete and it is ready for landscaping.

This fall, more than 200 trees have been planted throughout the site.

Additionally, the Riverwalk along the water’s edge is taking shape with crews nearing the far western-most section of the park. Through the winter months, interior work will continue at the East and West Comfort Stations.

June 2024 update

Over the spring and into summer, we made significant progress throughout the park. The Monstrum play structures are now complete, including the Fox, Bird, Fort Wayne Tot Lot, Big Mouth Bass, Otter and Beaver. The Fox and the Bird were designed by Detroit elementary school students during a workshop in the planning phase of park development.

The trees in the nursery area are acclimating well to their new environment. We will finish shaping the site this summer and planting will begin in the fall.

march 2024 UPDATE

As we start a new year of construction – this mild winter has helped keep our construction crews hard at work. This month we want to highlight some significant and exciting progress throughout the park, including:

Play Structures being assembled
The Sport House roofing is being installed and the skylight framing is complete
The Comfort Station’s walls and floors have been poured.

Thank you for all your support and interest in the park construction. We look forward to continuing to make progress over the summer with more earthwork shaping and planting of some trees.

december 2023 UPDATE

As we closed out the year, the construction crews are hard at work to complete as much as possible before the weather changes.

The super structure for the roof of the Sport House is all in place and they are in the process of framing the skylight. The Water Garden is completely shaped and lined, the pump will be installed after the final stone is placed at the river’s edge. The walls for the East Comfort Station have been framed and the concrete will be poured as soon as possible to get ahead of bad weather.

Thank you for all your support and interest in the park construction. We look forward to ramping up activities in the spring. We wish you a Happy New Year.

october 2023 UPDATE

Construction for Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park has significantly progressed in late summer and into fall. The Water Garden is being shaped and lined with Aquablok, and the log lunkers have been tied together and placed in the river for the habitat area. The foundations for the comfort stations have been installed and trades are working to pour the exterior walls. The construction crew has been shaping the site and grading the DTE Hill and will have the buildings up and closed so they can work throughout the winter.

july 2023 UPDATE

It's been a busy summer at Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park. As of late July, structural steel and roof trusses on the William Davidson Sport House are complete and scaffolding is in place. Soon, crews will pour the roof deck and the parapet along the roofline. Significant site grading has taken place, including for the east and west comfort stations, allowing for the foundation to be poured, followed by erecting walls. The EPA contractor removed a large seawall section for the soft shore river's edge. Excavation of the Water Garden will begin soon.

april 2023 update

The DRFC hosted a public informational webinar on April 18, 2023. The presentation is posted on our website under "Meeting 7". The update provided the community with information on the progress being made at Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park and the seawall.

JANUARY 2023 UPDATE

January 2023 highlights include clearing the entire site, installing a colorful project sign along Jefferson, creating a sandblasted concrete wall sample for the Sport House, placing a pathway throughout the site, installing underground utilities and pouring concrete foundations and sheer walls for the Sport House.

During winter, the main focus will be installing structural steel at the Sport House. As the weather breaks this spring, construction will continue to ramp up, leading to progress in each park area.

DECEMBER 2022 UPDATE

During the first few months of the project, crews worked to place construction trailers, secure the work site, remove trees and brush and lay out the perimeter of the William Davidson Sport House.