Michigan Snowmobile Association Past President John Griffin, Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club Past Director Ed Pavey, Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club President Lyle Sherlund, and Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club Past President Robert "Dobbie" Holland hold the award for design and construction the group received from the President's Commission for the Coalition for Recreational Trails.

The Red Creek Bridge for snowmobiles north of St. Ignace was a safety and engineering accomplishment that won praise from local and state officials when it was finished last fall. It also won a national award.

The bridge project won an award for "outstanding use of recreational trails program funds" for construction and design. The award was presented June 7, and John Griffin of Cedarville traveled to Washington, D.C. to receive the plaque that now hangs in the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Clubhouse in Cedarville. Mr. Griffin was past president of the Michigan Snowmobile Association, a Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club member, and a vocal advocate for a better way to get snowmobilers across Interstate-75. He presented the plaque to current Snowmobile Club President Lyle Sherlund, Past Snowmobile Club Director Ed Pavey, and Past President Robert "Dobbie" Holland in early August.

The long-awaited bridge over I-75 was dedicated in front of 200 people November 5, 2004, as the season's first snowflakes heralded the accomplishment by snowmobile enthusiasts. The bridge was the culmination of efforts by the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club and many others, who cooperated to create a safer crossing over I-75 than highway M-134 provided. Snowmobile Club members first pitched the idea of an alternate, safer crossing 20 years ago.

Riders who travel the local trails identified the danger in using highway M-134 (which bridges over I-75) to cross the Interstate. Lying 11 miles north of St. Ignace, the M-134 bridge was the only way to connect trails on the east and west sides of I-75.

Snowmobilers shared the bridge with automobiles. Motorists couldn't always see snowmobile traffic before cresting the hill of the bridge. Traffic sometimes moves at speeds of 55 miles per hour over the bridge, and snowmobilers had to cross two interstate access ramps without traffic control lights. Club members called the situation an accident waiting to happen.

The new Red Creek bridge eliminates the danger snowmobilers faced when using the M-134 bridge. The bridge is the only, three-season recreational bridge over I-75 in Michigan, and only the second bridge in the country created for non-motorized and snowmobile crossings over an interstate highway.

Other routes and crossing methods were considered, including a route over the Carp River and a tunnel under the expressway. But the bridge emerged as the best option for all who use the trail, including the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club's large grooming machine.

Planners decided in the summer of 2003 to proceed with the bridge at a cost of $1.5 million, with $1.1 million from the Snowmobile Recreation Trail Program and $400,000 from the Michigan Trails Funds.

The award-winning bridge design was created by Northwest Design Group of Petoskey, and includes graded trails on the east and west ends of the bridge. Approximately five miles of trail were re-routed to accommodate the bridge.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will inspect the bridge, while the Department of Natural Resources will provide trail grooming and maintenance money for the bridge. The Snowmobile Club grooms the trails and bridge.

The bridge is named for the Red Creek Trail, which connects St. Ignace with Cedarville. It is the result of joint planning by the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club, Hiawatha National Forest Service, Straits Area Snowmobile Club, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Northwest Design Group, and MDOT.

The Coalition for Recreational Trails Award is the second award the bridge has received in the past year. The Red Creek Trail Team also received a "Working Together in Partnership Award" from the U.S. Forest Service "for dedication in the development and construction of a bridge to provide safe passage for snowmobilers, hikers, and bicyclists across an interstate highway."

The bridge can be used by pedestrians, bicyclists, and horseback-riders, in addition to snowmobilers. All other motorized vehicles are not allowed on the bridge.

The bridge can be reached from Mackinac Trail on the west end, north of the M-134 intersection, and from the Service Road north of M-134 on the east end.