Myths about the road expansion:

Myth: This is a conflict between scenery and safety. We need to upgrade the road for the sake of human safety.

Reality: Military Road is one of the safest roads in the Three Lakes area. A comprehensive search of the Three Lakes Police Department files from the last 20 years showed only three (non alcohol or drug related) accidents anywhere on the road. Only three accidents in 20 years! All were relatively minor, no injuries were reported, and none were caused by conditions inherent to the road (the actual causes of these three accidents were: 1. a deer, 2. a bad tire, and 3. an ice/snow storm. Four additional accidents were reported in the last 20 years as being caused by intoxicated drivers.

In fact, widening & straightening the road will only serve to increase the speed of motorists, thereby making the road less safe, not more. The last thing we need is to expand and straighten Military Road so big logging trucks can fly along at greater speeds than they already do. The vast majority of accidents reported in the Three Lakes area were on Highways 32 and 45, where drivers can go much faster than on Military Road.

Another major concern expressed by numerous landowners along Military Road is that the expansion will actually put the road dangerously close to their homes and front yards, thereby endangering their children's playgrounds. Many of us come to the Northwoods to get away from such annoyances and dangers as high-speed traffic, now the Three Lakes town board wants to bring it to our doorsteps.

The citizens who have come together to preserve Lake Superior Trail are as concerned with safety as anyone, the real issue here is that not everyone's legitimate concerns are being addressed with fully informed public input.


Myth: What's the big deal? The road won't change that much after the expansion.

Reality: The current development plan & environmental assessment is a very revealing document. As it is currently conceived, this road expansion will involve the creation of ditches alongside the road, widening the road, straightening portions of the road, and taking down as many as a thousand trees (many of which are old growth trees which stood along "Lake Superior Trail" as it was being traveled by early Native Americans and Pioneers).

The shady forest canopy over the road will be lost in some areas. This will impact both the aesthetics of the road and the habitat of the endangered Pine Marten, which needs shadow in order to feel safe crossing open areas (The Pine Marten is actually Wisconsin's only endangered mammal, and is currently being reintroduced to areas of the Nicolet National Forest along Military Road's corridor).

The current environmental assessment for the road plan gives little serious thought to obvious scenic, environmental, and archaeological impacts, listing their effects simply as "none." A large number of known archaeological sites along the roadway are listed in the assessment as "not evaluated."

If this road expansion proceeds as planned, the unique scenic & historic character of Military Road will be forever lost.