This letter is in response to the article in the December 15, 2018 issue of the Cook County News-Herald about the Gitchie Gami State Trail between the Cut Face Wayside Rest and the west limits of Grand Marais.
In an email that Erica Rivers, director of the Division of Parks and Trails sent to Bryan Hansel and me she said: “The Gitchi Gami is fast becoming one of the backbones of the tourism economy on the North Shore. If it is to become the regionally significant destination trail that it was envisioned to become, we need to find periodic, high-quality alignments for the trail that are situated away from the Highway 61 roadway to enhance the user experience.” Crossing the Fall River in front of the falls certainly meets these criteria.
But having a bridge in front of the falls does so at the expense of two significant important current uses of this pristine spot. That is, use by local people, visitors, and tourists who walk down from the highway to view the falls and lake, and by users of the Lake Superior State Water Trail as a designated campsite or place to rest.
An alternate location for the bridge was proposed to have it at the concrete box culvert where the river comes out from under Highway 61. Having a bridge at this location became even more relevant when it was learned that the present box culvert was going to be replaced by MnDOT in the summer of 2019. The bridge and culvert replacement could be done at the same time. It is the best location for the bridge across the Fall River.
A bridge at the box culvert near the highway has several advantages compared to having a bridge in front of the falls. The obvious one would be that the falls and area around it would be preserved in its present natural wild state for future generations to continue to enjoy.
Parking on the shoulder of the highway at this spot could be added to replace what was lost when the area was at one time a rest area with picnic tables and a trail leading down to the falls. It could provide parking for users of the Gitchi Gami trail. Current planning calls for trail users to only have access to the GGST somewhere in Grand Marais or at the Cut Face Wayside Rest Area.
The rest area is a seasonal area and one in which parking is already limited because of use by travelers. And yet we are supposed to believe that going to view the falls on the paved GGST will be easier and a better experience than simply walking down from the highway as is done now.
The trail going east from the bridge could be in the woods, away from the highway, joining up with the location of the trail that is presently being planned. Construction costs for this trail would be expected to be less than the one that is currently proposed. Locating the bridge at the box culvert near the highway and proposed trail in the woods would meet all of the criteria that the DNR considers necessary to make the Gitchi Gami State Trail a significant destination.
The 10-foot-wide “wood suspension bridge” that is being proposed to go in front of the falls is to be made of “natural construction materials” that will “blend in with the surroundings.” That is a good description of a bridge that in those weather conditions will be a high maintenance short-lived one, especially when compared to a bridge built of precast concrete beams at the box culvert.
The DNR’s Parks and Trails leaders decided to stop meeting with MnDOT to work out the details of a bridge at the box culvert location because they continued to only favor having the bridge in front of the falls at the expense of current users. We are also disappointed in the support for having a bridge in front of the falls that have come from the leaders of the Cook County Chamber of Commerce and the Cook County/Grand Marais EDA.
The Gitchi Gami State Trail should not trump the interests of the public in preserving the falls as a wild, quiet place or the interest as a secluded campsite by users of the Lake Superior State Water Trail. If it does, as is planned, perhaps it might be time to review if state resources could be used more wisely for other trails.
The cost per mile to build the GGST paved bike path along the North Shore due to private land ownership, the rugged nature of the terrain and rigid “family friendly” construction standards is already getting to be prohibitive.
Here is a link to the video of the Fall River and falls that Bryan Hansel made that shows why we oppose having a bridge in front of the falls: youtu.be/P8tF3wtoF1Y.
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