At the Town Board meeting on June 1st, the County gave an update regarding the McCarthy Beach Road Bridge Project. Here is the latest:
Construction on the new bridge is set to begin on August 2nd and is expected to be completed by November 14th. Through traffic on the McCarthy Beach Road will not be allowed until the project is completed. Vehicle traffic will be detoured for the duration of the reconstruction project, and signs will be posted a week before the project begins. For planning purposes, it is 6.8 miles from the CC Campground to the Junction of Hwy 5 and the McCarthy Beach Road intersection. The detour will be on the Greenrock and Sturgeon Roads. Please follow the signs and allow extra time for your commute. Speed limits will be enforced on these roads with speed detection signs posted.
There will be times during the week when the river channel from Little Sturgeon to Side Lake will be closed to watercraft travel, but the channel will be open on the weekends. The channel will likely be totally closed for three days during the demolition phase of this project. Minimal closures of the channel during reconstruction are expected, and there is no set day or time for closures at this time. Signs will be placed to inform watercraft when the channel is closed. The bridge crew will likely allow through travel of watercraft when possible by controlling traffic, similar to a single-lane road construction project. The County has assured us that they will let us know when to anticipate channel closures, and we will do our best to keep you informed by posting these dates and times on the sidelake.org website, as well as on our Side Lake MN Facebook page.
The new bridge will be 12 feet wider underneath and raised 6 inches higher, allowing for more clearance through the channel. The surface of the bridge will also be 4.5 feet wider for vehicles. When completed, it will have a similar appearance to the Riverside Bridge on Highway 5. The Township Fire Department will station an engine at McCarthy Beach State Park during construction to provide timely response to properties west of the bridge. EMS personnel are able to respond to emergency calls from their homes, and we have personnel located on both sides of the bridge.
