Infrastructure projects scheduled for Boreas and Saranac Lakes

Three infrastructure improvement projects in the Adirondacks will temporarily limit access to the Boreas Ponds Tract, Lower Saranac Lake, and Middle Saranac Lake, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today.

Boreas Ponds Tract

Gulf Brook Road, the main access to the Boreas Ponds Tract, is closed during the week beginning Wednesday, Sept. 12, while DEC completes ditching and repair work on the portion of the road between the Fly Pond Gate and the Four Corners. Due to the operation of heavy equipment at the work site and the frequent trips by dump trucks hauling in road material, the road will be closed for public safety reasons. The road will be open to public motor vehicle access each weekend from 5 p.m. Friday through sundown on Sunday.

DEC will be closing Gulf Brook Road often during the week in the next couple of months as it completes road work, constructs parking lots, and undertakes other access projects identified in the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest Unit Management Plan. Current status of the Gulf Brook Road will be posted on the DEC’s Backcountry Information for the High Peaks Region.

Lower Saranac Lake

Beginning Sept. 12, New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) contractors will be conducting maintenance washing of the bridge on State Route 3 over the waterway between First Pond and Second Pond on the Saranac River. The bridge has previously been cleaned to remove solid materials. Inert wash water of similar temperature as the water in the waterway will be raining down from the bridge during these activities. The bridge is adjacent to DEC’s Second Pond Boat Launch and the water provides boaters access to Lower Saranac Lake from the boat launch. The operation is expected to last three to five days. The contractor will be using geotextiles to protect the waterway and will avoid operations during heavy boat traffic.

Middle Saranac Lake

DEC will close the Upper Locks on the Saranac Chain of Lakes on Sept. 19-20 to undertake repairs. The Upper Locks are located on the section of the Saranac River between Middle Saranac Lake and Lower Saranac Lake. Middle Saranac Lake will be inaccessible by boat during the two-day closure. DEC will ensure that boaters and campers are off the lake before the closure takes place. Once completed, these projects will ensure safe and convenient access to the lands and waters of the Adirondacks. DEC will announce the completion of the projects and reopening of access on the respective Adirondack Backcountry Information web pages.