TRAVERSE CITY — The way pedestrians cross the US-31 Corridor east of Traverse City will be changing.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is renovating the Traverse City State Park and is making a new way for people to cross the busy highway. Crossing over traffic on the bridge on US-31 will be coming to an end.
“We ended up having to move our entrance to address the traffic circulation issues, to give us enough space to make, to make all of the improvements that we needed to,” DNR Cadillac District Supervisor Kasey Cline said. “Along with that came an assessment of the pedestrian bridge. The bridge itself is aging, and it’s near the end of its life expectancy.”
The new intersection will include three traffic signals, stopping traffic on both sides of the highway and at the campground entrance to make the crossing safe for pedestrians.
“I think from an accessibility standpoint, there’s going to be a lot of improvements there. So, you know, even families carrying a lot of items over to the day-use area folks with pets, sometimes dogs don’t want to walk up those stairs....so I think from a longevity standpoint and an accessibility standpoint, it will make crossing through that corridor, more convenient too.”
The state park renovations will come around the same time as east bay township plans to create their beach district. Township Director of Planning And Zoning, Claire Karner, is ready for change.
“The State Park Project is coming at a good time because there’s an opportunity for the township to coordinate with the state park and MDOT on some of the improvements that they have underway as well.”
A part of the beach district’s plan is to have crosswalks every quarter mile. The renovation of the bridge is another piece to help East Bay Township achieve its goal.
“I think from all of the information and input that we’ve gathered, having a safe crossing every quarter mile is really important to us because people aren’t necessarily going to walk, you know, a half mile a mile back track to cross at an intersection,” explains Karner, ”So that’s one of the goals that we have for this, for this effort… whether that’s in at grade crossing, whether that’s a bridge, whether that’s a tunnel, that’s something that the township consider continues to take a close look at
The DNR has yet to set a timeline for the bridge demolition. The State Park is scheduled to close for renovation on July 7 after the National Cherry Festival.
To learn more about the renovation plans click here.