Woodland adjustments considered
Marquette County, townships seek alternative By JOHN PEPIN Journal Staff Writer
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“It’s kind of a collaboration between the road commission, the county and the townships,” said Commissioner Deborah Pellow of Ishpeming. “It’s kind of a joint effort to move forward the Woodland Road.”
The county board is asking the Marquette County Road Commission to develop a new all-season primary county road to run north 22 miles from U.S. 41 to Marquette County Road IAA.
The Woodland Road, which was withdrawn from permit consideration in May, was to be a private road with public access, aimed primarily at providing a haul route for timber and gravel companies and the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company.
Woodland Road LLC includes the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company, A. Lindberg and Sons, the Michigan Forest Products Council and John Jilbert Companies.
The Woodland Road was also to bring other benefits including new recreational access, reduced truck traffic through Marquette, Ishpeming and Negaunee and better access for emergency transport vehicles.
Kennecott was to fund the $50-80 million cost of the Woodland Road, slated to run from U.S. 41 north to Marquette County Road AAA.
The new route proposed, a bit to the west, would still be paid for by Kennecott, but would be a public road, built to all-season standards, with a new purpose stated as providing “enhanced vehicle access to the adjoining lands in the north-central portion of Marquette County … and additional recreational and economic development opportunities in this undeveloped area of Marquette County.”
The road commission would maintain the road. The exact route would be worked out in consultation with state and federal regulatory agencies. But in general, the road would run north from U.S. 41, somewhere within a four-mile-wide corridor, two miles on either side of Marquette County Road FY.
Commissioner Paul Arsenault said the road would open up the area to development, increasing the tax base.
Commissioner Robert Struck said with road funding hard to come by, this is a good opportunity.
“The big issue is we have a private investor willing to put the money up to fund it,” Struck said.
Several local units of government have supported the idea of a north-south route to alleviate truck traffic headaches expected to increase with operation of Kennecott’s mine on the Yellow Dog Plains.
The new road would also be expected to improve safety on heavily traveled routes in the area including U.S. 41, by reducing traffic volumes.
“Safety is the No. 1 concern,” Arsenault said.
County and township officials met within the past week or so to discuss the new road. Their hope is the new focus as a public road, with alternatives to be considered within the corridor, may better chances for approval from regulatory agencies.
“Thoughts are this may move the process a little more smoothly, possibly,” said county board Chairman Gerald Corkin. “
In March, U.S. EPA officials were joined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a federal objection to the DNRE issuing a permit for the Woodland Road project – mainly over issues related to wetlands mitigation and insufficient alternate route analysis.
Woodland Road LLC had 90 days to address concerns before the DNRE was set to rule on the permit. The permit application was withdrawn May 7 with the issues unresolved.
“Their concern, of course, is the wetlands impact,” Pellow said. “That’s what’s going to be the battle when it comes down -it is going to be the wetlands.”
Kennecott Mine opponent Teresa Bertossi of Marquette told Corkin during public comment at Tuesday’s meeting he was “mistaken that there was broad public support” for the Woodland Road.
She asked why the road commission would consider building more roads when it can’t maintain what it currently has.
“That road would kill one of the last remaining frontiers east of the Mississippi River,” Bertossi said. “That’s the bottom line.”
John Pepin can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. His e-mail address is jpepin@miningjournal.net.
This is not good, The wetlands are just as important on this alternative Rd (The Red Rd. is included in this plan) as it was for the first woodland road plan.
Marquette needs new County Board Members who know what they are talking about !!!
