The drive from Cedar to Lake Leelanau will take a little longer through next week, and vice versa.
South Lake Shore Drive, which connects the two unincorporated villages, will be closed to all traffic just south of St. Mary Church while Road Commission crews dig out and replace a 70-foot culvert.
“That’s probably not what you wanted to hear,” said Calvin Wilson, who was leading a crew of five Road Commission workers Monday morning as they began digging up aging culvert with help from a backhoe. The ribbed metal had rusted through in spots, so it makes sense to replace the culvert ahead of a chip-and-seal project planned for this summer that will extend from Anthony St. in Lake Leelanau to the county road’s end at 651 just north of Cedar.
The larger project will only affect traffic for two or three days, and one lane will remain open, Wilson said. It’s part of about 36 miles of county roads scheduled for resurfacing this summer. The work will begin in mid-June and last about a month, although exact dates will depend upon when and where rain occurs.
The Road Commission posted a notice of the Lake Shore Drive closing over the weekend on its website, Wilson said. Sign on Lake Shore Drive south of the work direct traffic west onto Lingaur Road. Travelers headed to or from Cedar north can also take French Road.
