 June 17, 2020
Contact: John Pepin, 906-226-1352
Road work to temporarily affect visitor travel at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Delays expected over first two days of camping season
Work by the Ontonagon County Road Commission to replace culverts along a portion of South Boundary Road is expected to delay or reroute motorists over the first two days of the camping season at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Construction began today on the project to replace four culverts, with additional workdays scheduled for June 18, 22 and 23. Campgrounds at most Michigan state parks open June 22.
“All of the road work will be taking place within a mile of the entrance to the park visitor center,” said Michael Knack, park supervisor. “Visitors will be able to get to all of the trail heads, campsites and scenic sites, but in some cases, it may require a detour of as much as 80 miles.”
South Boundary Road runs along the southern extent of Michigan’s largest state park, connected by north-south routes, including County Road 107 on the eastern end of the park and County Road 519 on the west.
Road commission crews are scheduled to work 12-hour days to complete the work. Along the 27 miles of South Boundary Road, the road commission maintains roughly 100 culverts, replacing a few each year.
The culvert work project this month will focus on the eastern end of the park, where a full excavation of both traffic lanes will be necessary, Knack said.
Campers with reservations are being notified of the construction work.
“We are looking forward to another fantastic visitor season at the park. We are excited and eager to reopen,” said John Pepin, DNR deputy public information officer. “We appreciate the understanding and patience of park visitors during this temporary circumstance.”
For more information on the park, visit Michigan.gov/Porkies.
/Note to editors: An accompanying photo is available below for download. A suggested caption follows. Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, unless otherwise noted.
Road: South Boundary Road skirts the southern extent of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Ontonagon and Gogebic counties./
|
