Alger County H-58

In last week's Upper Peninsula blog topic, I discussed at length the city of Munising and everything that it has to offer for residents and visitors to the area. I made brief mention of Pictured Rocks and the main roadway that runs along it, H-58. It's a county highway maintained by the Alger County Road Commission and it had been a source of frustration and some controversy for many years. The road commission has been working towards getting the length of roadway paved for quite some time, as early as the 1960's. But with the lack of appropriate funding, it never came to be. In all, H-58 between Munising and Grand Marais is some 39 miles. However, after all these years, H-58 is officially paved between those two Alger County communities.

As for myself, I have never ventured on H-58 beyond Melstrand. I had heard stories regarding how rough the road was in certain areas along the unpaved stretches. It was like a washboard, with speed limits of 25 mph, if that. Believe me, the Alger County Road Commission did their best at maintaining what they could of the county highway. But a lot of times after a heavy rain, the road would be nearly unridable again. And I think that's a reason why many people decided not to venture upon H-58 beyond where the pavement ended. I mean sure, there were still lots that did. But then there were others who wouldn't. Now, there is no reason not to travel the whole length of H-58 through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

A dedication is set for this Friday, October 15 at the new Hurricane River Bridge located just west of Grand Marais. A reception will be held starting at 10 AM at the Alger County Road Commission facility just west of Munising on M-28. Then, the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new bridge will start at noon and will feature several dignitaries such as state and national representatives, congressmen, and staff members. It will mark the official closing of the project that had been in the works for so long. It will be the first time that a hard-surfaced, paved roadway has existed between Munising and Grand Marais through Pictured Rocks.

So if you're looking for another alternative in getting to Grand Marais from Munising or vice versa, H-58 is now that option. As I mentioned earlier, the road had always existed between those two communities, but it often provided for a rough ride. Now visitors and residents alike will be able to traverse the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will relative ease and possibly explore areas they had never visited before. It opens up a bunch of new possibilities for a lot of people and for myself, it'll be great to explore a new area I've never been. Don't know if I'll be able to get there before winter comes, but sometime soon. It's just one more reason why Munising and the Pictured Rocks area is a great area to visit.