In the county board packet for the commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday, June 10 was a letter from Brenda Halter, U.S. Forest Supervisor, about a resolution they passed on April 9, 2014, asking the U.S. Forest Service to increase road maintenance funding within the Superior National Forest.
Commissioners reviewed Forest Supervisor Halter’s reply, which said, in part:
“The situation of inadequate funds to maintain existing roads and bridges is not unique to the Superior National Forest. It is for this reason that all national forests have been directed to implement the USDA Forest Service Travel Management Rule (TMR) promulgated in 2005…
“This involves a science-based roads analysis to identify NFS roads that are ‘likely needed’ or ‘likely not needed’ to meet forest resource management objectives. Travel Analysis serves as the basis for developing future proposed actions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), but does not result in decisions. Therefore, Travel Analysis does not trigger the NEPA and associated procedures.
“Funding for road maintenance on the Superior National Forest has consistently declined over the past 15 years. Virtually all road maintenance funding on the Forest comes from appropriated funds along with very limited dollars through miscellaneous program funds such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for fisheries or watershed improvement projects. Without additional funding, forest managers are faced with options to reduce maintenance needs by:
Decreasing the maintenance standard on roads from being drivable by a passenger car or requiring the use of a high clearance vehicle.
Making some hard decisions to close roads that are currently needed for Forest Service and public uses.
Transferring roads to other Public Road agencies. The Forest Service has identified roads that are important travel routes for Cook, Lake and St. Louis Counties’ residents and businesses and are candidates for transfer of jurisdiction. However, the low standard Forest Service roads would first need to be improved to meet current county road standards and we do not have the funds to accomplish this work either.
“In addition to a lack of adequate funding for road maintenance, we have not received funding for major capital improvements such as replacement of the Temperance River Bridge referenced in your resolution. The original structure of this bridge is from 1931 and was moved to its current site in the 1950s. It has lasted far beyond its expected life of 50 years.
“Replacement of the structure was first recommended in the 1980s. The forest has aggressively pursued but is unable to obtain Forest Service funding for this project over the past five years.
“Hence, we will have to close this bridge to protect public safety until funding is received. While the bridge closure may cause some to take a 12-mile detour, the public will not lose access to national forest lands.
“The closure will also impact the State of Minnesota’s North Shore Snowmobile Trail which is currently routed over the bridge. We have more than 20 other bridges on the Forest that were built over 50 years ago and lack replacement funds. This may force the closure of some of these bridges in the future,” wrote Halter.
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