Travelers on the Gunflint Trail may be surprised to see the new guard rails at the section of road called “The Pines.”
In November 2008, concern rippled through the community when it was learned that a repaving project on the Gunflint Trail threatened the cluster of old growth white pines dubbed “The Pines.” Since the repaving project was being funded with federal dollars, the Gunflint Trail would have to be reconstructed, from Hedstrom Lumber to the Trout Lake Road, to meet federal safety standards—meaning the possible removal of some of the historic white pines. Fortunately that did not happen, but many community members feel that the alternative—galvanized safety guardrails on both sides of the Gunflint Trail—are nearly as bad.
In a November 2008 interview, Highway Maintenance Supervisor Bill Parish said cutting down the trees was not an option, but he said some sort of mitigation needed to be done. Parish said there is a safety concern by The Pines because of an “hourglass effect.” At that time, Parish said the most probable change to the area would be the installation of guard rails. Parish said guard rails are effective in such areas because in an accident, they guide traffic back to the road bed—away from the trees.
However, many Gunflint Trail residents and visitors were unprepared for the appearance of the guardrails on Thursday, December 3. The guard rails were installed by project contractors, Ulland Brothers Construction. The project is complete except for the epoxy stripe painting, which will be done in the spring.
County Engineer Shae Kosmalski was out of the office until December 21, so the News-Herald
again contacted Maintenance Supervisor Parish who said the guard rails fulfilled the federal safety requirements. “Basically for us to receive federal funds, we had to address safety issues. Those trees were not outside the ‘recovery area.’ You are not supposed to have anything in that area,” said Parish.
Reached by phone a few days after the guardrails were erected, Nancy Seaton of the Gunflint Byways Committee said, “We’re sorry to see the guardrails—but we’re glad the pines are still there.”
Ironically, one of the old pines blew down in a windstorm during the road reconstruction project.
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