Petoskey — A consulting engineer presented a completed design package on a plan to repair the closed “Miracle Mile” section of the Little Traverse Wheelway and protect the adjacent bluff and Highway 31 using a dynamic cobble revetment and associated upland work. The City has a full set of plans, specifications and a basis-of-design report ready for permitting and bidding, but the city and consultants said construction cannot start without identifying major funding to cover an opinion of probable construction cost roughly in the $19–21 million range.

The design firm told the City Council and members of the public the package advances the earlier 50% design to a “100%” set of bid documents and a detailed design report. The plan calls for a 4–8 inch natural cobble beach (a “dynamic revetment”) at the toe of the bluff, regrading and revegetation of disturbed slopes, a bridge to span the location of the 2020 coastal collapse, soil‑nailing and a vertical steel sheet‑pile wall in some segments, stormwater conveyance tied to the trailway, and a maintenance access path from the trail down to the cobble beach.

Why it matters: The Miracle Mile section has been closed since 2020 after record‑high Great Lakes water levels caused bluff erosion and a major collapse that removed roughly 150–200 feet of trail. The corridor carries a regional trail connection between Harbor Springs and Charlevoix, is adjacent to Highway 31, and crosses multiple private, city and county properties. Council members and public speakers framed the project both as a trail restoration and as bluff stabilization with potential implications for nearby public infrastructure.

Key features and technical basis

Rory, the project presenter, said the design process included coastal and geotechnical field investigations (soil borings and groundwater monitors), coastal numerical modeling, and constructability visits to quarries. The team sized the cobble berm with models that assess wave overtopping, used published guidance and slope‑stability modeling (MDOT and Army Corps guidance cited), and evaluated multiple alternatives including moving the trail inland and conventional stone revetments before focusing on the dynamic revetment approach.

The revetment design includes a crest about 30 feet wide that slopes to the lake at roughly 6:1; many sections require regrading inland to achieve a shallower, more stable slope and revegetation on the bluff. In the area of the 2020 collapse the plan places a bridge over the failed segment, uses soil nailing on the upper slope and repairs an existing block wall at the western end. The consultant said stormwater from the trailway will be collected and conveyed under the regraded zone to reduce upland runoff exacerbating slope instability.

Costs, volumes and funding status

The consultant’s opinion of probable construction cost (OPCC) escalated to a midpoint in 2026 is approaching $20 million; the team said roughly $13 million of that figure is attributable to the dynamic revetment and associated stone volumes. The design estimate includes nearly 90,000 tons of quarried cobble stone and associated logistics. The presenter said material handling and placement logistics are a major cost driver and that contractors estimate moving that volume by truck would mean on the order of 10,000 truckloads (the consultant used quarry visits and supplier quotes to build the cost model).

Permitting and easements

Consultants told the council the project will require multiple regulatory approvals and property agreements because the trail lies on easements across private, city and county parcels and Highway 31 is under MDOT jurisdiction. The team said permitting narratives and applications have been drafted, but regulatory approvals and easements are contingent on funding; some permit work is on hold while the city pursues funding. The consultant explained that letters from property owners or negotiated easement language will be required for construction on lands outside the existing trail easement.

Timeline and next steps

The consultant estimated that, if funding were secured, permitting and contractor selection could take several months to a year and that construction staging and material placement likely makes a single‑season build challenging. With permitting and procurement, the presenter estimated an approximate two‑year path from funding to substantially complete construction under a reasonably optimistic schedule. The consultant also recommended post‑construction monitoring and maintenance for the dynamic revetment — including monitoring approaches from simple crest surveys to more intensive marked‑stone studies — but said the report did not include an opinion of probable maintenance costs.

Council and public response

Council members asked about climate change assumptions and design return periods; the consultant said the design used a combined “100‑year lake level” (about elevation 584.5 as used in the report) with a 25‑year wave condition and surge combinations, and noted that, in combined terms, the chosen approach is more conservative than a single return‑period metric. Council members also pressed on alternatives and “value engineering” to reduce cost, on funding strategies and on whether state or federal partners (including MDOT and EGLE) could assist. The consultant confirmed EGLE provided grant funding for the design phase (2023) and that MDOT has participated in site studies and instrumentation.

Members of the public urged urgency and noted both the trail’s economic value and the risk to Highway 31 if head‑scarping continued; nonprofit and trail advocates offered to help pursue funding. Several speakers said the city should continue seeking partnerships and that private fundraising could be part of a larger funding mix.

What was not decided

The council did not vote on construction authorization, funding commitments or specific funding sources at the meeting. The presentation delivered the 100% design and cost estimate and put permitting and construction on hold pending funding decisions and negotiation of easements and regulatory approvals.

Sources and next steps

The project design report and drawing set are available on the city’s project web page, the consultant said. City staff and councilmembers indicated they will continue discussions about funding strategy, stakeholder coordination, value engineering options and regulatory sequencing.