TRAVERSE CITY — Crews are installing a new traffic signal and pedestrian crosswalk at the entrance to Traverse City State Park’s campground this week, part of a multimillion-dollar construction project expected to wrap up next year.
The traffic light, located along US-31, should take about four weeks to install, according to Kasey Cline with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Once operational, the signal will manage traffic flow in and out of the campground and provide a place to safely cross the road.
Cline said the traffic issue is nothing new. Letters dating back to the 1970s described the difficulty drivers faced pulling back onto US-31 from the park.
The traffic signal is one part of a broader overhaul that includes a new park headquarters building, a new contact station and a better black water pump-out station.
Cline said the larger dump station was a top request from campers, who frequently faced long backups on checkout Sundays.
The campground has been closed during construction, but is scheduled to reopen in April of 2027.
The park’s day-use area will remain open in 2026, though it may close intermittently while the Michigan Department of Transportation realigns the Three Mile Road intersection at US-31.
That project will convert the current three-way intersection into a four-way entrance to the day-use area.
The DNR has also issued a request for proposals for a feasibility study on a replacement pedestrian bridge crossing on DNR property near the park.