TC State Park Construction: September Update

Sept. 13, 2025

The $8.5 million Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park renovation will become more visible starting this week. Per the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, on Monday, Sept. 15, “contractors will begin preparation work to widen U.S. 31 by 20 feet and build a new right-turn lane into the park campground. … During construction, a northern lane shift will eliminate the middle turn lane but maintain two lanes of traffic in both eastbound and westbound directions.” Then, on Sept. 20, work will begin to remove the pedestrian bridge. That weekend, cars will be detoured to Three and Four Mile roads. Once the bridge is gone, the stairs will be removed in stages, which will also include traffic shifts. The DNR says they are “committed to working with the community to find a new location for a pedestrian bridge,” though no funding, location, or timeline has been secured thus far. Follow the progress at Michigan.gov/TraverseCity.