 The people of East Gall Lake have enjoyed crossing the one-lane bridge over the Gall Lake Dam for over 100 years. Gall Lake Dam road makes it easy to get from one side of town to the other. But all that is about to change in a few years. Anthony Scott has more. It's a real critical connection from the north end of the city to the south end of the city. And for all these years since the city came into an agreement with the federal government to have the lease, it was one of those things we really didn't worry about. In the week, the Army Corps of Engineers decided that they will end the lease in 2025, closing a portion of East Gall Lake Dam road to public use. The city of East Gall Lake filed a petition against and had meetings with the Corps of Engineers to keep the road open, but the request was not granted. There were multiple concerns, pedestrian safety, long-term maintenance of the dam itself, and maintaining that structure. We really wouldn't have a lot of funds to repair that, so we want to keep it in as good a shape as we can for the next 50 to 100 years. The Corps also wanted to preserve some Native American burial grounds that are near the road. Essentially, that area surrounding that road is a very important cultural site. Nearly 1,500 cars use the road every day, making it imperative for the county to find an alternate route. It's critical that we come up with another option so that we don't, you know, if we have to go through the other road, it would be a huge inconvenience for all of our residents and the guests that visit East Gall Lake. The lease stated that the Corps only needed to give the county a 90-day notice before closing the road, but the Corps decided to give East Gall Lake until 2025. That looked to be an appropriate amount of time to allow the necessary planning and design and funding and construction of an alternative route. The county tried to create a more efficient bypass around the dam in the year 2000, but the funding could not be secured because there was no need for a new road at the time. Now the city administrator is confident they can secure funding and design a new road in time. Whether it's the federal government or the state government, the county people have had some very positive meetings with those folks already. Not assuring us of money, but it looks good. Coming from East Gall Lake, Anthony Scott, Lakeland News. The Army Corps of Engineers is unsure of what will happen to the road once it is closed to public use in 2025. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.