Grand Traverse County commissioners unanimously approved two letters of support Wednesday – one of which will go to state representatives and one of which will be provided to the public as a template – to preserve the pedestrian bridge over US-31 near the Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park. The bridge is set to be demolished as part of $8.5 million in park renovations, with a new traffic signal to be installed. East Bay Township officials tell The Ticker the township has no say over what happens to the bridge, while the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says its removal is critical to the park redesign.

As previously reported in The Ticker, the State Park project – which is being funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars that must be spent by the end of 2026 – will include removing the pedestrian bridge and creating a new park entrance with a traffic signal and pedestrian crosswalks, tearing down the lodge and building new park headquarters, and improving the park’s sanitation pump-out capacity, internal traffic circulation, and customer service areas. The State Park is set to close July 7 and remain closed through the end of the 2026 camping season for construction.

County Commission Chair Scott Sieffert said Wednesday that he’s heard from many constituents opposed to the bridge’s removal. “Even though we appreciate the DNR’s investment in redoing the State Park...we would like to see the pedestrian bridge kept for the nature of safety,” he said. Commissioner Rob Hentschel said preserving the bridge “is a matter of life and death for our visitors and our residents.” In a letter approved to be sent to State Senator John Damoose – which will also be distributed to other state representatives and is available in an alternate format as a public template – county commissioners noted that the bridge was built in 1966 in response to a tragedy when an 11-year-old was struck and killed while crossing US-31.

“Since then, traffic has dramatically increased on this roadway, and the State Park has experienced an increase in campers and visitors,” the letter states. “Having safe pedestrian crossings is critically important. The existing bridge is an integral part of our community’s infrastructure, offering safe and convenient passage for those staying at the State Park. The decision to retain the bridge will have a lasting positive impact on our residents and visitors, ensuring that the park remains accessible.”

Accessibility is one of the factors the DNR cited in its decision to remove the bridge, however. The decades-old structure is deteriorating and nearing the end of its useful lifespan. It’s also not ADA-compliant. “This creates accessibility challenges, especially for pushing strollers, carrying coolers, etc.,” the DNR posted on Facebook. “Some campground patrons opt to drive between the campground and the day-use area, increasing traffic congestion and using limited beach parking.”

The bridge would also block sight lines for the new traffic light, which will provide an at-grade, ADA-compliant pedestrian crossing. Kasey Cline, Cadillac district supervisor for the parks and recreation division of the DNR, notes that the intersection will feature a full traffic light – not the type of pedestrian-activated HAWK signals seen on Grandview Parkway. Vehicles will be required to fully stop at the signal, which will be located in the same general area as the bridge. However, some residents have questioned how long pedestrians will have to cross and whether timing will be sufficient for beachgoers with young children, beach supplies, and more to safely make it across the highway.

Cline says she’s had to keep a bullhorn handy in the past to stop individuals from throwing objects off the bridge at passing cars – another safety hazard posed by the structure. An at-grade crossing means the DNR will be able to drive maintenance equipment back and forth between the State Park and beach, whereas staff currently must trailer equipment across the highway. Cyclists also wouldn’t have to trek their bikes up the bridge stairs anymore, Cline says. “(The bridge) is not user-friendly unless you’re able-bodied and not carrying a lot with you,” she says.

Other options were considered in the past. When the DNR was working to create a State Park management plan, 83 percent of survey respondents – providing feedback on the park – indicated they use the bridge to cross the road. A draft of the management plan stated the DNR would “continue to look for opportunities to upgrade or replace the bridge, considering accessibility and park operations.”

Township and state officials then considered the possibility of building an ADA-accessible bridge over the highway. A new Hyatt House hotel proposed to be built on vacant land next to the State Park created an opportunity for hotel and township officials to explore using brownfield funding to build the bridge on State Park land. However, cost and design constraints caused the DNR to reject that option. In its Facebook post, the DNR noted such a bridge “with 220 feet of switchback ramps at an eight percent slope presents significant drawbacks. Extending the route by 440 feet, it would drastically impair the campground's shoreline view, a stark contrast to the currently proposed 60-foot at-grade crossing.” Reconfiguring the existing bridge for ADA compliance would be “impractical due to its age and deteriorated condition,” the DNR wrote, while a new ADA-compliant bridge would “incur higher long-term maintenance costs” and cost an estimated $20 million to build – more than double the entire budget for the State Park redesign.

East Bay Township officials note they have no jurisdiction or say over what happens to the bridge. While the township has authority to review the State Park site plan, that regulatory control does not extend to the bridge, says Township Director of Planning & Zoning Claire Karner. Township Supervisor Beth Friend does not anticipate township officials will pass a similar resolution to the county because the board doesn’t typically take up issues “for which we have no authority or control,” she says. Friend says her personal preference would be to have an ADA-accessible bridge in the corridor, though she understands “the technical and financial challenges” such a project poses.

In the township’s recently completed East Bay Beach District plan – which outlines top priorities and projects for the US-31 corridor – “the number-one public desire is for safer crossings,” says Karner. The plan calls for eventually having a safe pedestrian crossing every quarter mile along US-31. Karner says the township will continue to work with the state on opportunities to calm traffic and add more pedestrian crossings where possible, a pattern that over time could help slow US-31 vehicle speeds as drivers grow more accustomed to pedestrian activity.

In the meantime, the DNR seems unlikely to pivot from its plan to remove the bridge – which is set to come out in spring 2026. Cline says she’s “empathetic” to the community’s support of the structure, but says its removal “is a key piece of the plan and needed to make sure everything else (at the State Park) can happen.” Changing that plan would require “going back to square one” and losing millions in ARPA funding, says Cline. “We have to change and adapt with the times,” she says.