DNR reopens popular snowmobile trail

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently reopened a section of Snowmobile Trail No. 2, as work was completed to repair railings and decking on a bridge between Michigan and Wisconsin, west of Iron Mountain.

“The snowmobile trail bridge over the Menominee River has been repaired ahead of schedule,” said Jeff Kakuk, DNR western U.P. trails specialist. “The trail is now open between Pine Mountain Road in Michigan and Romitti Drive in Wisconsin.”A Snowmobile Trail No. 2 bridge over the Menominee River, at the Michigan-Wisconsin border in Dickinson County, has now been reopened.

A recent engineering analysis of the Menominee River Bridge determined the railings and decking were unsafe for snowmobile travel. The DNR worked as quickly as possible to get the railings and decking upgraded, but construction initially lagged into the snowmobile season, resulting in the temporary trail closure.

Modifications were made to existing railings on the bridge to meet current safety standards. K&M Industrial LLC. Of Gladstone was the contractor.

“Users should be aware of the addition of a stop sign at each end of the bridge,” Kakuk said. “Repairs to the bridge railing resulted in a slight narrowing of the travel width and a ‘one way traffic’ designation.”

Users will now be required to stop at the bridge and cross when oncoming traffic has passed. Future plans to install a new deck will provide a much wider surface and eliminate this situation.

The Menominee River Bridge is a 392-foot-long, steel box truss span bridge constructed in 1901. Snowmobile Trail No. 2 utilizes the former Chicago Northwestern Railroad grade which originally traveled from Hermansville, Michigan to Hurley, Wisconsin. The snowmobile trail parallels the highway, providing recreational access to communities along the way.

The project is being financed through Recreation Improvement Fund and Recreational Trails Program funding. The DNR is partnering with the Florence County (Wisconsin) Forestry and Parks Department, which will be co-funding the bridge improvements.

For more information on this project, contact Jeff Kakuk, DNR western Upper Peninsula trails specialist, at 906-563-9247, ext. 109.

To learn more about Michigan trails visit www.michigan.gov/trails.