Work is underway for the Gitchi-Gami bike trail. KGM is cutting trees and in a month or so will clear the 10-foot wide trail so it can be paved and linked up with the paved path in Grand Marais. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
Along with the Highway 61 roadwork that will take place this summer, plans are underway to complete a section of the Gitch-Gami bike trail.
This past week KGM Construction began clearing trees for the 3.4-mile stretch running from the Cut Face Creek State Wayside Rest to the completed section of the trail that ends about 1.5 miles west of downtown Grand Marais.
When finished, the trail will be about five miles long.
“The first step is to remove the trees along the trail corridor,” said Scott Kelling, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Trails Regional Manager.
Kelling said the trees have to be cleared by May 1sts so there won’t be any interference with Northern Long-Eared Bats, which roost in trees. The northern long-eared bat is federally listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and is protected.
“There are two contracts for the work,” Kelling said. “Redstone, out of Mora, Minnesota, will install the bridge in August and September. KGM will cut the trees and grade the path leading to the bridge. When it’s done, there will be a 10 foot wide bituminous surface for the bikers and hikers who use the Gitchi-Gami.”
KGM’s contract is $4.6 million for its part in the work, while Redstone will be paid $550,000 to install the bridge over the falls at Fall Creek.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has scheduled to close Highway 61 August 3, 2020, so a new bridge can be installed both over the highway for vehicles, and Redstone can build a bridge for bicyclists beneath the falls for the riders using the Gitche-Gami bike trail.
Vehicles will be routed on County Road 7 during that four to six week closure of the highway.
Trail construction will start early this spring. Kelling said the goal is to get the work done “before the snow flies” but that will be entirely dependent on the weather, he added.
When totally complete, the Gitchi-Gami State Trail will stretch 89-miles from Two Harbors to Grand Marais. So far, a little more than 30 miles of the trail have been built.
The Gitch-Gami Trail Association, an all-volunteer group, is spearheading the project. They work in collaboration with
MnDOT, MnDNR, the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC), 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.
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