Flood-Damaged Highway 210 in Jay Cooke to Reopen in Early October

After being severely damaged by the flood waters of the 2012 flood, Highway 210 in Jay Cooke State Park is close to being reopened. Just over five years after two major places in the roadway were washed away, crews with MNDOT have been able to rebuild the road bed, with plans for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, October 4 at 10:30 am.

The $21.3 million project included repairs to 74 different washouts including two large washout points; one measuring 175 feet wide and 45 feet deep, and the other measuring 1,000 feet wide and 100 feet deep. Other improvements include improved drainage, flattened slopes, and reestablishing vegetation that was washed away along the roadway.

The reconstruction project also includes a series of sensors that will monitor ground movement in areas where the roadbed was damaged.

The reopening of the roadway will give access to Jay Cooke State Park from the east, granting people in Duluth and Superior the opportunity to take Highway 23 to Highway 210 into the park. While not an extremely long drive, taking 210 through the park is certainly scenic, and the fact it reopens in time for the fall leaf viewing season is sure to make for lots of traffic early on.

The public is invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony to reopen the highway. The ceremony is at 10:30 on Wednesday, October 4 at the Oldenburg Shelter (one mile east of the visitor center) in Jay Cooke State Park, 780 Highway 210, Carlton, MN 55718.