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Snowmobile safety

Riders urged to use caution on machines

MARQUETTE — Snowmobile safety is stressed every winter, but it can be easy to forget while having fun on a machine in the Great Outdoors.

With varying amounts of snowfall so far this season across the northern section of the state — and with the recent heavy snowfall in the Marquette region — the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is urging snowmobilers to use caution riding trails.

Groomer contracts went into effect Dec. 1, kicking off the start of another snowmobile season, with trails groomed on most trails.

“Riders should keep to trails they know or trails they know are situated on dry ground,” said DNR trails specialist Paul Gaberdiel in a news release.

Limited snowfall can reveal potential hazards including rocks and wet areas.

“Several groomers have gotten stuck because of unusually high water and warm temperatures in swampy areas,” Gaberdiel said.

In those areas, DNR staff had worked on bypass routes.

Before riding trails, though, it’s recommended snowmobilers check with local trail grant sponsors for current trail conditions.

Not doing so could be a dangerous decision, but so could unsafe driving behavior.

According to the DNR’s snowmobile fatality summary for 2014-15, the investigation of a fatality that took place on Jan. 19, 2015 on Trail No. 8 in Ontonagon County revealed the victim was driving too fast for conditions. The 38-year-old male driver from Lafayette, Indiana, lost control and rolled the snowmobile several times.

On Jan. 17, 2015 on Trail No. 720 in Cheboygan County, a 37-year-old man from downstate Monroe died after making impact with trees. An investigation showed he had never ridden a snowmobile before the incident, and had borrowed the sled from a friend.

According to the report, he was “extremely intoxicated,” and drifted off the left side of the straight portion of the trail before hitting several trees.

Don Britton, a member of the local Hiawathaland Snowmobile Club and an adviser to grooming sponsor Hiawatha Trails, based in Gwinn, is an avid snowmobiler who has a few tips for anyone interested in the sport.

“Number one: Dress warm,” Britton said. “Stay on the right side of the trail. Observe all the signs. Be conscious of the people around you.”

He recommend people drive at a speed they feel comfortable with, just like driving a car — although there are limits, of course.

“Realistically, you don’t feel very comfortable on a trail at 85 mph,” Britton said.

There are about about 460 miles in Marquette County that are available for snowmobiles, he said.

Work continues to make infrastructure safer for snowmobilers in other parts of the Upper Peninsula.

The DNR recently reopened a section of Snowmobile Trail No. 2, as work was completed to repair railings and decking on a bridge between Michigan and Wisconsin, west of Iron Mountain.

“The snowmobile trail bridge over the Menominee River has been repaired ahead of schedule,” said Jeff Kakuk, DNR western U.P. trails specialist in a news release. “The trail is now open between Pine Mountain Road in Michigan and Romitti Drive in Wisconsin.”

A recent engineering analysis of the Menominee River Bridge determined the railings and decking were unsafe for snowmobile travel. The DNR worked as quickly as possible to get the railings and decking upgraded, but construction initially lagged into the snowmobile season, resulting in the temporary trail closure.

Modifications were made to existing railings on the bridge to meet current safety standards.

“Users should be aware of the addition of a stop sign at each end of the bridge,” Kakuk said. “Repairs to the bridge railing resulted in a slight narrowing of the travel width and a ‘one-way traffic’ designation.”

Users will now be required to stop at the bridge and cross when oncoming traffic has passed. Future plans to install a new deck will provide a much wider surface and eliminate this situation.

The Menominee River Bridge is a 392-foot-long, steel box truss span bridge constructed in 1901. Snowmobile Trail No. 2 uses the former Chicago Northwestern Railroad grade, which originally traveled from Hermansville, Michigan to Hurley, Wisconsin. The snowmobile trail parallels the highway, providing recreational access to communities along the way.

The project is being financed through Recreation Improvement Fund and Recreational Trails Program funding. The DNR is partnering with the Florence County Forestry and Parks Department in Wisconsin, which will be co-funding the bridge improvements.

For more information on snowmobiling in Michigan, visit the DNR’s webpage at: www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.

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