The culverts on the Gunflint Trail by the scenic Swamper Lake outlet are failing and the county has authorized Highway Engineer David Betts to proceed with the project this fall. Some traffic delays can be expected in this area where no detour is possible.
Engineer Betts brought the need for the culvert replacements to the county board’s attention on August 25. At that time Betts told the board that the road is collapsing a bit at that spot. It has been patched but the culvert is “pretty much rusted away.”
Betts said he recommended replacing the aging culvert’s pipes with reinforced concrete. He estimated that the project would cost between $75,000-$100,000, which would be low enough to not require a sealed bid process. He said the highest expense would be the concrete, but traffic control costs will be significant.
Betts said the money for the work was available because the county was a little under budget on gravel and because it had received some additional forestry road funds.
However, he said this is why the county needs to have some undesignated road funds. He said the highway department has only about $300,000 in undesignated funds now. If culverts or a bridge collapsed in the middle of winter, it would cost a great deal more to repair.
That was another reason he wanted to complete the culvert replacement on Swamper now, said Betts. He said he didn’t want to take a chance on a road failure in the middle of winter.
The board authorized Betts to seek quotes and unfortunately when the Cook County News-Herald talked to him on September 21, he said the quotes came back “very, very, high.”
Betts asked four construction companies for quotes. Two declined because of too-heavy workloads. Betts talked to the other two that had expressed interest and was able to get quotes closer to the hoped-for $100,000. The low quote came from KGM Contractors, Inc. at $129,930 and the company said it could start October 19 with an estimated finish date of October 31. Ulland Brothers gave a higher quote of $142,520 but gave an earlier start date of September 30.
Betts brought the quotes back to the county board on Tuesday, September 29 and asked for authorization to accept one of the higher quotes. The board authorized spending up to $150,000 on the project and left the decision of which contractor to work with up to Betts.
Betts said he selected the lower quote from KGM Contractors, so work should be beginning on October 19.
Motorists can expect significant delays for about two weeks with one traffic lane closed while the other is being worked on with a few longer delays when work moves from one side of the road to another.
The carry-down access to Swamper Lake may also be closed temporarily for material storage.
And finally, because of the lateness in getting started on the project, the paving may not be completed until spring. However, Betts said that would not be the worst thing to happen, as it would give the road time to settle before paving.
Ball Club Road closures this week
At press time, the Cook County Highway Department announced the scheduled replacement of multiple culverts on Ball Club Road (County Road 27). There will be periodic road closures on Ball Club Road between the Devil Track Road (County Road 8) and approximately 1 mile north. Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 5 at 6:00 a.m. and should be completed on Thursday, October 8, weather permitting. Expect delays of up to three hours. The highway department will provide an avenue for emergency services only.
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