Those planning to enjoy the Kal-Haven Trail State Park this summer will likely have to detour their plans.
The Michigan Department of Natural resources announced last week that 15 miles of the trail between South Haven and Bloomingdale will be closed from July 10 until early 2024 for a project to resurface the trail and replace several bridges.
Funded under the Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Building Michigan Together Plan, the project has been in the works for a while. It is also the first time the trail has been rehabilitated in 38 years, according to Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail Chair Jeff Green.
While Green said the trail resurfacing is much needed, the DNR starting the project in the summer was a disappointing surprise.
“We were originally told the project was going to begin last January, and then it was pushed back to next fall. Then, to this coming fall. Now, all of a sudden, we find out it’s July 10,” Green said. “It’s going to affect many thousands of people who have planned to come to South Haven to ride the trail.”
In a release, the DNR said it will also replace three bridges along the trail, including the iconic Donald F. Nichols Covered Bridge, known as the Black River Bridge.
“The decision to remove the bridge was not an easy one, however it was necessary due to safety concerns and the need for upgrades,” said Jill Sell, Southwest Trails Specialist, in the release. “The materials from the bridge will be removed and stored locally, which will allow for future projects to celebrate its significance.”
The 108-foot covered bridge was constructed in 1988, and Green said removing it is a significant blow to friends of the trail.
“It’s become an icon and a landmark for South Haven, Southwest Michigan and especially the Kal-Haven trail,” Green said. “I can’t tell you how many magazines and tourist brochures and news articles … that bridge in our trail shows up in. To lose that icon is going to be incredibly painful for the entire region.”
Green said the Friends of the Kal Haven Trail tried to save the bridge, but were essentially kept in the dark by the DNR. The situation was explained to the groups followers on Facebook Monday.
“The Friends have worked diligently to save the Nichols covered bridge (or a simulacrum after reconstruction) on the KHT and were left with the impression after a meeting between the community and the DNR several months ago that this was the direction in which we were going.
We are as dismayed and caught off-guard as everyone else.
Moreover, we were assured the resurfacing project would begin in the Fall not at the height of tourist season. We feel the pain of those whose businesses depended on the trail for summer time traffic (Bumbleberry Acres, Country Fare, Kal-Haven Outpost and many others) and are happy to work with them offering alternative routes that tourists and visitors can take to reach their establishments. …
If there is any chance that a new covered bridge can be established across the Black River, we’ll be there making it happen – but we’re going to need the help of the entire #kalhaven community from #SouthHaven to #Kalamazoo and all points between.
In the meantime, call the State Park Office and let them know how you feel. The local number is: (269) 637-2788 and if you feel like calling Lansing, Ron Olson’s number is: (517) 284-7275 and their email is: DNR-ParksAndRecreation@michigan.gov.”
The eastern 15 miles of the trail will remain open, and Green said the Parking lot on Kalamazoo Street in Bloomingdale will serve as the temporary western terminus until resurfacing is complete.
By Ryan Yuenger
ryany@wsjm.com
(Photos courtesy Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail)
