County 20 Update September 1, 2022
CSAH 20/Birchmont Beach Road project update
September 1, 2022
The contractor continues to work in the section west of Hazelwood. 1 out of 5 lifts of the surcharge have been constructed. They have been excavating the muck material and backfilling with granular material. We expect the contractor to be working in this section for most of the fall.
CSAH 20/Birchmont Beach Road is a highly used route so it is no surprise that we continue to get questions about how to navigate around the project. The official detour uses other county roads: CSAH 27, CSAH 22, and CSAH 21). We do not use township roads for detours because they are not built for the higher volume of traffic. However, township roads end up being un-official detour routes for the local traffic as they find their way around the project. These routes are usually through residential areas so if you are using them please drive cautiously and be considerate.
The section of CSAH 20 east of Hazelwood remains open to local traffic. Please use caution if you are driving in the section where the contractor's large off-road trucks are hauling (from Hazelwood to just east of Tall Pines). If you can, it is best to avoid that area.
Depending on where you live and where you are headed it may be faster to go around the south side of Lake Bemidji. It may surprise some that it is easier to go south and avoid the construction completely. We suggest checking on Google Maps.
If you ever have any questions please send us an email or give us a call at (218) 333-8173.