Off roaders have used state forest roads in the Upper Peninsula as trails for years. Now they might have the same opportunity to use those types of roads below the Mackinac Bridge.
House Bill 5275 would permit Off Road Vehicles (ORVs) to use any state forest road across the state, unless it has been closed. Most of these roads are already open to motorized traffic from vehicles with license plates, but not to machines like all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) or side-by-side vehicles. The legislation, which was introduced by state Rep. Triston Cole (R-Mancelona), is currently sitting in the state Senate.
“Right now we have limited use and sporadic accessibility for our ORVs and side-by-side machines,” Triston Cole says. “And this is the next step in increasing tourism and improving our economy here in northern Lower Michigan.”
Cole says many off roaders in the Lower Peninsula are heading north to the Upper Peninsula to use its more numerous ORV trails. He wants to keep them below the Mackinac Bridge.
But some are concerned about potential environmental impacts if the roads are opened up to ORVs with aggressive tire treads.
Antrim County Commissioners passed a resolution opposing the legislation in early June but voted to get rid of that resolution later in the same month.
The legislation would also require the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to do a complete inventory of all the forest roads in the state. The state could prohibit motorized traffic from certain roads based on that inventory.