Porcupine Shoreline Work Starts Next Week

An emergency shoreline project will get underway Monday, August 5, to protect the main entry road on the east end of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness Park from erosion aggravated by high Lake Superior water levels and storm damage. 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Ontonagon County Road Commission have teamed up to protect County Road 107 to ensure continued east access to the 60,000-acre park.

The estimated $550,000 project is focused at protecting critical roadway assets along the 107th Engineer Memorial Highway (Ontonagon County Road 107), including the Union River Bridge and shoreline along the road west of the bridge.

“This shoreline protection project is an immediate response effort intended to keep wave action and storms from further eroding or undermining the bridge or roadway that collectively serves as the eastern gateway to the park,” Eric Cadeau, DNR regional field planner, said.

“The DNR Parks and Recreation Division and the Ontonagon County Road Commission have also begun a public engagement and planning process which will help us determine long-term solutions for protecting this invaluable resource.”

For now, large angular riprap stone will be placed 250 feet east and west from the concrete bridge deck at the Union River. Shoreline armoring will continue west of the bridge, protecting sections of the county road immediately vulnerable to damage in seasonal Lake Superior storm events.

The work is expected to continue through October.