Moran Twp. Disapproves Part of US-2 Ditch Project
By Paul Gingras

The Moran Township Board of Trustees has rejected one portion of a state project to build ditches on the north and south sides of US-2, where the highway passes through sensitive dunes habitat along Lake Michigan. The township is required to weigh in on the proposal, under the state's Dune Protection and Management Act.

The area in question includes "critical dunes," a term describing Michigan's tallest and most picturesque dunes, and includes threatened and endangered plants and animals.

Although board members agree that ditching is needed along some parts of the stretch, they oppose digging ditches on either side of Brevort River.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) plans to build V-bottom ditches, beginning one mile east of County Road 526 and proceeding, intermittently, four miles southeast.

Essentially, the ditches will be sand catches, explained Moran Township trustee Mark Spencer, a member of the local road committee.

The reason for ditching is to prevent blowing and drifting sand and snow from covering the road and causing dangerous driving conditions, said James Lake, communications representative for MDOT, adding that there is no need for a continuous ditch because the sand provides good water drainage.

The department planned to begin digging this fall, Mr. Lake told The St. Ignace News, but the project will probably be delayed until fall 2008, owing to the need for a permit from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), federal backing of its assertion that construction will not significantly impact threatened and endangered plant and animal species along the stretch, and the department's pursuit of a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which will take about two months to review the project.

The project's cost is estimated at $200,000. The FEMA grant amounts to $150,000.

At its Wednesday, October 3 meeting, the board authorized township supervisor Jim Durm to write a letter to the DEQ detailing the board's recommendation.

After a detailed explanation from Mr. Spencer, the board agreed with MDOT that ditching is needed at the eastern end of the dune stretch, near the Pte. Aux Chenes subdivision, and to the west, near Lake Michigan Campground.

Mr. Spencer, a frequent traveler along the route, insisted that there has never been a sand or snow drifting problem where the highway crosses Brevort River, adding that he speaks for area residents by opposing ditches there.

Residents use the area by the river for parking, especially during the summer, when travelers' vehicles fill established parking areas in view of the lake, he said. The parking area by the river is not in view of the lake and is well known by local residents, he added.

Mr. Lake explained that part of the need for DEQ approval is the presence of four threatened and endangered plant and animal species: the Pitcher's thistle, labeled "threatened" by the federal government; a Lake Huron tansy colony, classified as "threatened" by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR); the Piping Plover, which is in danger of extinction in the Great Lake region, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Lake Huron locust, one of Michigan's rarest insects.

MDOT conducted an assessment of the project's potential impact on these species, Mr. Lake said, with input from the DNR, the U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and concluded that there will be no significant impact on the sensitive species.

A comment period from August 2007 through September 2007 yielded no public response regarding the project's environmental impact. MDOT received one comment from a resident concerned that the project could prevent parking, Mr. Lake said.

The department has forwarded its environmental assessment to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). If the administration agrees that there will be no significant impact, MDOT can proceed with the project.

The department plans to transplant the endangered plants in the area, Mr. Lake said, adding that the optimal time to do so occurs when the plants go dormant in the fall. To avoid disrupting the Piping Plover's spring nesting period, the project must be delayed for about one year, Mr. Lake said.

In other business, the township road committee has reviewed and approved of a project by MDOT, which involves the rerouting of traffic from US-2 onto area roads next year.

The department plans to replace the deck of the Cut River Bridge. The project is expected to run from May through August 2008, during which time a portion of US-2 will be closed.

MDOT and the Mackinac County Road Commission plan to reroute traffic from the intersection of US-2 and Prater Boulevard, north along Prater Boulevard to Cut River Road, and easterly along Cut River Road to the US-2 intersection.

The detour route's roads will be strengthened to handle the influx of highway traffic, an MDOT report states. The department also promises to improve the roads, following completion of the project.