Begun in 1999, the hoped-for 2011 completion date of the 89-mile Gitchi-Gami bike trail from Two Harbors to Grand Marais has long since come and gone, but Justin Otsea, Oliver Liu and Michelle Pierson came to Cook County with some good news, progress is being made on the trail, albeit not as fast as first thought.
Each of the three represented an agency or organization that has had a hand in planning the route. Justin Otsea is a senior planner for the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC), Oliver Liu, is an area specialist with the DNR Parks & Trails and serves as the Gitchi-Gami Trail coordinator, and Michelle Pierson is executive director of the 250 members Gitchi-Gami State Trail Association.
To date, just over 30 miles of the trail have been completed. But that’s about to change with three upcoming projects in Cook County.
Justin, Oliver, and Michelle gave an update about the work going on in Cook County during a noon event sponsored by the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at Cascade Restaurant on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Justin led the discussion starting with the collaboration between organizations. He also gave a thumbnail description of the three trail projects in Cook County.
The first project connects Cut Face Creek State Wayside Rest to Grand Marais. It is 3.3 miles long and will offer a safe route across Fall River. Tree removal is expected to begin this November, and trail construction will start early 2020 with a late 2020 completion or early completion date in 2021.
In Lutsen, approximately 1.5 miles of trail is expected to be built mid to late 2021 or early 2022.
This segment will continue from Tofte, creating nearly nine miles of a continuous paved bike trail.
In Tofte, a .9-mile trail will be built late 2020 through 2021. It will feature a below-grade underpass (tunnel) under Highway 61 that will provide safety for users of the path.
Building the Gitchi-Gami trail is not a simple project, said Otsea. There is a mix of federal aid and bonding dollars that must be sought while collaborating between a lot of groups — or stakeholders, as he called them.
The Gitchi-Gami is built in sections because it is constructed where and when MnDOT is working on Highway 61. This year trees will be taken down in November to lessen the impact on the long-eared bat, which is a protected species.
Liu said by scheduling construction to start in November, the Parks and Trails Division offered the best protection for the bats and the tree cutting now will lessen the impact of construction to residents and visitors when the trail is being built.
Pierson said GGTA has been working with the community of Lutsen, stakeholders, property owners, and the North Shore Scenic Drive Council to come up with ideas for the trail extension into downtown. One idea is to change the alignment from its current terminus at Ski Hill Road to the Caribou Trail.
That existing trail terminus on Highway 61 at the Ski Hill Road is privately owned. And while there is potential to work out a more permanent agreement with the landowner, Mary Somnis, EDA Director, suggested using the Superior National clubhouse/parking lot as the trailhead. Justin said he would look into that idea.
When talking about the collaboration with Lutsen residents and township officials and business owners, Pierson said, “We were thrilled with the feedback from locals suggesting that a nicely designed trail could serve as the town’s ‘sidewalk.’”
When the trail is completed, Pierson said it is expected to have a positive economic impact on the town, as well as provide much safer passage for residents and guests who now walk or ride on the narrow gravel sides of Highway 61.
Money—or the lack thereof—is a central issue to developing the Gitchi-Gami. Senator Tom Bakk, who was in attendance, suggested using the lower stretch of Cascade Road as part of the trail. “You would have to ask landowners living there for variances, but you might find them more than willing to sign a variance if they knew their road was going to be paved,” he said.
Bakk also noted an underpass would probably have to be built under Highway 61 to connect the path, but that would be much cheaper than building five miles of trail through the woods, which would become unnecessary by using the old Cascade Beach Road.
Two future projects in Lake County look exciting, Otsea said. In Lake County, a 7.3-mile extension of the trail from Silver Bay to Tettegouche State Park, and a 1.25-mile addition from Two Harbors to Flood Bay State Park, will result in 24 continuous miles of trail and connect three state parks.
Meanwhile, in Cook County the collaboration will continue with the stakeholders involved in the Gitchi-Gami bike path working together. They are: MnDOT, MnDNR, GGTA, Cook County EDA, Cook County Chamber of Commerce, townships, Cook County commissioners, Cook County highway department, town supervisors, private landholders, private citizen, local businesses, the North Shore Scenic Drive Council, and Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program.
As Otsea said, building a bike path isn’t a simple process.
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