by Barry Drue
Area residents and through-travelers have experienced the inconvenience of closures of U.S. 41 at the head of Keweenaw Bay between L’Anse and Baraga several times in recent years. Wind-driven fall storms in November, 2017 and 2019 have pushed water and woody debris across the highway, closing it to traffic. Two fatal traffic accidents have closed the highway for hours in the last couple of years. A Dec. 23, 2016, vehicle crash and explosion at 3:40 a.m. into the SEMCO natural gas gate station on U.S. 41 across from Erickson Hardware resulted in the highway’s closure while the situation was brought under control. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.