Photo Courtesy of Huron Pines The new timber bridge over the Black River at Lavergne Road in Alcona County. Huron Pines staff and project partners celebrated the completion of the project with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 29.

ALCONA — Huron Pines recently celebrated the completion of the new timber bridge over Black River in Alcona County on Oct. 29. Chris Engle, communications associate, told The News that the project improves road infrastructure but also improves the local fish populations.

Engle explained that Huron Pines is currently involved in three more bridge projects in the Black River area. All four projects will cost about $1.2 million in grant funding. He said that these projects will continue development through 2027.

According to a Huron Pines press release, the recent bridge construction took place on Lavergne Road where an undersized culvert was replaced with a 24-foot bridge that reconnects more than 18 miles of stream habitat for trout and migrating salmon.

“It is so important to protect these river systems and projects like this help improve their resiliency,” Associate Director Lisha Ramsdell said in the release.

According to Engle, undersized culverts prevent fish from moving upstream during times of “high water” which include spring runoffs or heavy storms. He added that undersized culverts also contribute to erosion, damage road infrastructure, and send harmful sediments into the river ecosystem.

Engle told The News that the Black River bridge project is representative of the type of work that the conservation group spearheads.

“We bring together stakeholders and organizations,” Engle said.

Engle said that in the case of the Black River timber bridge, the Alcona County Road Commission did most of the construction. He added that the bridge is a benefit to the road commission because it improves the local road infrastructure and limits the amount of repairs needed.

Besides improved road infrastructure, Engle said that their ongoing bridge projects in the Black River area will create an obstruction-free environment for fish and anglers 27 miles inland from Lake Huron.

Engle stated that this recent bridge project cost roughly $600,000 with $100,000 in labor from the Alcona County road commission.

According to Engle, the next three projects will take place on Beaton Road, a private crossing of Poor Farm Road, and Trask Lake Road. He stated that these projects will be bottomless culverts rather than bridges.

Funding sources for these projects include federal funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and the United States Forest Service, according to Engle. State funding comes from the Michigan DNR Fisheries Division, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Walters Family Foundation.

Engle stated that Huron Pines has worked on 14 projects with the Alcona County Road Commission. Other partners that supported the recent bridge project on Lavergne Road included Michigan Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Huron Engineering and Surveying, Inc., John Henry Excavating, Krenn Timber Bridges, and private landowners.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.