The Otsego County Road Commission has closed the Sturgeon Valley Road vehicle bridge over the Pigeon River for construction effective Monday, May 4. Traffic will be detoured around this closed bridge throughout the summer, which will affect user access into the Pigeon River Country Forest from the west.

All campgrounds, pathways and trailheads will remain open with the exception of a small segment of the Shingle Mill Pathway on the west side of the Pigeon River near the construction site. The DNR will provide a temporary trailhead parking area to the west of the construction site on the south side of Sturgeon Valley Road, and will reroute the Shingle Mill Pathway for a short distance along Ford Lake Road to the north to reconnect with the Shingle Mill Pathway away from the construction site.

Directional signs and maps will be posted at the Pigeon River Country Forest Headquarters, at trailhead parking areas, along the Shingle Mill Pathway to help guide users during this temporary bridge closure. You may also view these documents here: Shingle Mill Pathway map with detours - Detour route and signing sheet.

According to Otsego County Road Commission officials, the bridge closure and construction is necessary to replace the bridge, but the contractor expects to complete the project in approximately 10 weeks if all goes well. The DNR will inform the public when the bridge is reopened and original pathway routes can resume.