BREITUNG TOWNSHIP — The one-way loop on Kramer Drive that leads to the top of Pine Mountain and the U.P. Veterans Memorial will be completely closed to traffic starting Monday as construction begins on an elevator for the ski jump warming shelter.

The Kiwanis Ski Club had originally thought two-way traffic would be possible on the other side of the loop, away from the warming shelter tower where the elevator will be built.

But the Dickinson County Road Commission determined the roadway was too narrow, too steep and had limited sightline for drivers coming into and out of the loop, said James Harris, the commission’s managing director.

“We can’t take the chance of an accident,” Harris said.

The public will be allowed to park alongside the road below the closed area and walk on the west loop to the memorial, the scenic overlook and other attractions and facilities atop the hill, Harris said.

The closure will remain until further notice, according to the DCRC. Visitors are asked to respect the construction barriers and keep their distance from the work area for safety reasons, the DCRC stated in a news release.

The Kiwanis Ski Club has contracted with Gundlach Champion Inc. to do the elevator project in two phases. This year, the company will construct the frame for another 92-foot tower on the back of the existing structure adjacent to the ski jump that has the warming hut, with catwalks to four levels where the elevator can stop.

The second phase — putting the elevator in the new tower — is slated for 2026. But another $1 million will be needed to complete the project due to increases in the price of steel and other materials, Kiwanis Ski Club President Nick Blagec said last week.

The club in 2024 received a $1 million Michigan Economic Development Corp. infrastructure grant to get started on the elevator, Blagec said. They are looking for other grants or funding sources to keep the project on track in 2026.

It’s part of the club’s ongoing effort to keep the Pine Mountain ski jump venue up to standards of the governing body International Ski Federation, commonly referred to as FIS. Pine Mountain now hosts a Continental Cup ski jump tourney that draws thousands of spectators each year to the community, but FIS has indicated it will consider the site for a World Cup event — the highest level of competition in the sport — if it has proper facilities, which includes an elevator.