Expect traffic delays: Mill the Hill construction update

Drivers on the Gunflint Trail near the four corners intersection can expect delays on Wednesday, Sept. 10, and Thursday, Sept. 11.

Cook County Highway Engineer Robbie Kimmel-Hass told WTIP that construction workers would be setting six massive beams between the two days as part of bridge construction over the Little Devil Track River.

The beams measure six feet and ten inches tall, are 155 feet long, and weigh 185,000 pounds, each. Three of them were brought through town on Tuesday, Sept. 9, and will be placed on Wednesday morning. The remaining three are expected to arrive in time for placement on Thursday.

On Wednesday the work is scheduled to take place between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. On Thursday the placements will begin later in the morning, and Kimmel-Hass said he expects the work to be complete by roughly 3 p.m.

Kimmel-Hass said that placing each beam will take about 20 minutes. The Gunflint Trail will be closed between the intersection with Devil Track Road and Golf Course Road to the north, and Cutoff Road to the south, as each beam is placed. He added, however, that between placements, the road will reopen for traffic, as the crew finishes bracing the newly set beam and prepares for the next.

In addition to the trucks hauling the beams, two large cranes will be on-site for the work, so Kimmel-Hass urged caution for drivers in the area, and expressed appreciation for the community’s patience during the project.

Once the beams are in place, the remainder of the bridge can be constructed. Kimmel-Hass said he still anticipates that the work will be completed before the end of the fall. He added that he also believes the paving work on the Gunflint Trail, also part of the Mill the Hill project, will also be finished this year.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Robbie Kimmel-Hass about the Mill the Hill project updates. Audio of that interview is below.

Kirsten Wisniewski September 10, 2025