CLICK TO LISTEN TO INTERVIEW WITH M-DOT’S DAN WEINGARTEN
It’s a sure sign that winter is not too far away.
The state transportation department will be closing down the roadside parks across the Upper Peninsula next Monday.
These are the facilities with pit toilets, barbeque grills and picnic tables.
M-DOT spokesman Dan Weingarten says they need to close these 32 parks because the pit toilets and water sources would freeze during the winter, making them tough to maintain.
And he says that the contractors that have been hired to maintain these parks need time to get them ready for the winter, and have to have an end-date to their obligations.
The closures do not affect the rest areas with indoor facilities…like those on US-2 near Naubinway and Garden Corners, and on M-28 near Seney.
Welcome Centers in Marquette, Menominee, Iron Mountain, and St. Ignace also stay open year-round.
