Closed section of M-119 at Devil's Elbow reopens after erosion prevention repair

Fast facts:

• Repairs on M-119 at Devil's Elbow involved roughly 10,000 cubic yards of sand placed and compacted in a series of layers up the slope beneath the roadway.
• The new slope was covered with a geocell ground grid, a 3-D plastic expandable mat that was filled with topsoil, seeded with deep-rooting plants, and covered with a woven fiber mulch blanket to prevent further erosion.
• A culvert beneath the roadway was extended, leading to a new rock-lined drainage ditch that will help prevent future snowmelt and heavy rain events from eroding the adjacent slope. 

GAYLORD, Mich. - After analysis by engineers and geotechnical experts, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has determined that an erosion prevention repair completed on M-119 at Devil’s Elbow is sufficient to safely reopen the roadway there.

M-119 had been closed at Devil’s Elbow following heavy rains in late June that washed out the sand slope below the road up to the pavement edge.

Repairs that began last week involved roughly 10,000 cubic yards of sand placed and compacted in a series of layers up the slope beneath the roadway. This new slope was covered with a geocell ground grid, a 3-D plastic expandable mat that was filled with topsoil, seeded with deep-rooting plants, and covered with a woven fiber mulch blanket to prevent further erosion. The material, which is staked in place with steel hooks, allows water to flow through it without pooling or washing away.

A culvert beneath the roadway was extended, leading to a rock-lined drainage ditch that will help prevent future snowmelt and heavy rain events from eroding the adjacent slope.

“We began this repair primarily with the goal of protecting the roadway from further erosion next spring from snowmelt and rain but have concluded that with the stabilized slope we can reopen M-119,” said Gaylord Transportation Service Center (TSC) Manager Jay Gailitis. “We’ll continue to monitor the repairs to make sure they are performing as intended.”

MDOT maintenance coordinators oversaw the work performed by staff from MDOT, the Emmet County Road Commission, the Otsego County Road Commission, the Roscommon County Road Commission, the Wexford County Road Commission, and the Cheboygan County Road Commission.

One portion of M-119 remains closed to through-traffic near Division Road due to a culvert failure and washout that occurred in April. Traffic is detoured on Island View Road and North State Road. The exact scope and feasibility of repairs for that area of M-119 is currently being analyzed on an expedited schedule. This closure is expected to remain until at least through 2027.

In early April 2026, a combination of heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt washed out a section of M-119 between Good Hart and Cross Village, south of Division Road. Additionally, the slope beneath M-119 near Stutsmanville Road south of Good Hart began to fail, leading MDOT to close the roadway out of caution.

In late June 2026, another significant rainstorm (dropping 5 to 7 inches of rain in a few hours) resulted in additional washouts on M-119 near Middle Village Road, South Lamkin Road, Horseshoe Bend and Devil’s Elbow.

MDOT maintenance staff, the Roscommon County Road Commission and contractors have since been able to repair and reopen several segments of M-119. MDOT completed a $300,000 project to stabilize the slope near Stutsmanville Road with retaining walls just before Labor Day 2026. Smaller repairs were completed over the summer to stabilize M-119 near Middle Village Road, South Lamkin Road and Horseshoe Bend.

Beyond the locations washed out and damaged in 2026, MDOT is planning to contract with a consultant to perform a comprehensive resiliency study of the M-119 Tunnel of Trees corridor for improvements and long-term management, looking at existing and potential erosion, drainage, slope stability and geotechnical conditions.