After YEARS of planning, a $10 million reconstruction project on Goose Lake Road (aka Brundage Mountain Road) is now underway. The improvements will have a huge impact on the drive to Brundage, but thanks to meticulous planning, the massive construction project is expected to cause only minimal delays for our summer visitors.

Please note: The details of this story and the road closures have been updated as of 8/5/2016. For the most up-to-date information, please follow this link.

Here’s the scoop:

Weekday closures will be significant between now and the time we open for summer operations. View Schedule details here. BUT, no closures are scheduled during our early summer Bonus Weekends on June 18-19 and June 25 – 26.

We begin our ‘full-time’ summer operations (four days a week) on June 30th. By that time, the construction schedule will change. NO DAYTIME CLOSURES are scheduled Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays or holidays starting June 25. Visitors who head to Brundage Mountain on Thursdays may encounter delays of up to 30 minutes. (Those delays will be in effect Mondays through Thursdays at that point, but Brundage is only open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during summer months so we will have one day per week where we could run into short delays).

While we expect the closures to have only a minor impact on our visitors this summer, the project will have a major impact on the driving experience starting next winter.

In addition to rebuilding the intersection between Goose Lake Road and Highway 55, the nearly four-mile stretch of road from Highway 55 to Brundage will be significantly widened, with some of the sharpest curves getting re-engineered or completely eliminated.

Here’s a look at some of the most dramatic pieces of the project:

If you drive to Brundage often, you probably recognize the entrance to this hairpin turn.

This entire curve is being eliminated.

A brand new section of road will bypass this turn, taking off from just below the Gordon C. Titus parking lot entrance and connecting with the straighter part of the road below.

The two curves between the Gordon C. Titus parking lot and the entrance to Brundage are also being re-worked.

This curve catches a lot of people off-guard as they leave the ski area in the winter.

That part of the road is being rerouted, regraded and widened to create a smoother, more consistent turn.

Another significant change is to a tricky turn that trips drivers up about halfway down the road.

It’s easy to pick up speed on the straight away before this curve. By next winter, the curve itself will be straightened out and the chances of a ‘snowbank encounter’ will be nearly erased.

This project is part of the Forest Highways Program and we feel very fortunate that our guests will enjoy easier, safer access for years to come. We’ll be posting updates and photos as this exciting project progresses. See you soon!

• April