Beltrami County weighs pausing Scenic Highway 39 pedestrian bridge after human remains found; Leech Lake Band to lead cultural review

Beltrami County commissioners discussed whether to continue with a long‑planned pedestrian and bicycle bridge on Scenic Highway 39 after utility crews uncovered human remains near the proposed site.

Bruce, the county highway engineer, told commissioners the bridge project dated back more than a decade: design work was funded by grants, and construction funding had been located through federal grants and matching funds. "We were working towards the actual construction, developing the, getting the plans ready," Bruce said. He said a utility relocation encountered human remains and the county has worked with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe heritage office to determine next steps.

The Leech Lake heritage office proposed additional cultural assessment work, including ground‑penetrating radar, cadaver dogs, and hand‑excavation (shovel testing) under tribal oversight, Bruce said. He said the committee that organized the Scenic Byway received design grants and located construction grants, but the proposed cultural work is not covered by the existing grants and would create a new county cost if the board proceeds.

Commissioners debated options: Bruce outlined three paths — proceed now and pay for the cultural work (estimated repeatedly in discussion as roughly $100,000), pause and ask the Scenic Byway (Lady Slipper) group to pursue grants or outside funding (for example, Bruce suggested Enbridge as a potential private contributor), or abandon the project. Commissioner Carlson argued for pausing to search for grant money given budget constraints; Commissioner Gould said the county could use ARPA or reserves and urged moving forward because the project has been in development for about 10 years and would enhance public safety for bicyclists.

Commissioner Sumner asked how quickly the project could proceed if the board funded the cultural work; Bruce said, if the site evaluation and permitting went well this fall, construction could start next year and be completed within about a year. Bruce and commissioners also discussed the possibility that further investigation could reveal a concentrated burial area that would preclude construction at the current alignment; possible design responses include lengthening or relocating the bridge, which would increase cost and might require additional federal funds.

Following discussion, commissioners expressed a majority preference to pause immediate county spending for the cultural assessment and ask the Scenic Byway/Lady Slipper group to seek outside funding or partial grants to cover the work rather than shift county road construction dollars from other projects. Commissioners also discussed hybrid approaches: matching grants rather than taking the full cost on the county. No formal vote was recorded; staff were directed to ask the Scenic Byway group to pursue funding and report back.

The county engineer said the project remains in the five‑year plan; the board did not adopt a formal motion in the transcript but provided direction to pursue external funding before committing county construction dollars.