Southwest Detroit wants to make your ridiculous I-75 detour a little less painful

I live in Wyandotte, but work in Ferndale. That means I trek up I-75 North every morning for about 35 or 40 minutes. It's really not the worst commute in the world.

Coming home is a different story thanks to the enormous clusterfuck resulting from the closure of I-75 South at Springwells.

At first I was exiting the freeway early, and taking West Jefferson down along the riverfront in Downtown. At Rosa Parks it turns into Fort Street and I continued my arduous journey from there.

Now, I cruise down 75 till I hit Clark Street and take the scenic route down West Jefferson, passing Historic Fort Wayne and then moving on through downtown River Rouge, Ecorse, and Lincoln Park. It's a much more satisfying journey.

But enough about me. This is a story about the Southwest Detroit Business Association and how they're turning lemons into margaritas.

Explore the Detour is their new campaign that offers discounts and freebies for people who use the detour as an opportunity to engage with the colorful community of Southwest.

According to a press release, "Explore the Detour provides a passport filled with southwest Detroit’s locally-owned businesses, which are providing discounts to people holding the digital or hard copy of the passport. The initiative is to encourage people to visit southwest Detroit and experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of this culturally rich community."

The passport will offer meal discounts as well as details about upcoming events, helping to shine a light on the unique neighborhood and all of its goings-on.

Passports will be released quarterly and the first is available now through southwestdetroit.com. Hard copies can be picked up at the Southwest Detroit Business Association located at 7752 W. Vernor Hwy. Detroit.