Pete, I saw you up the road from the sign, outbound, as I was coming in to scan my finish.
I had the same idea as you. I got to the sign that said Road Closure and my first thought was it doesn’t say the whole area is closed, so Cornell must be digging up the path for a culvert or water pipe. Oh, and look at the nice woods on the right to pass through. I’ll go that way and stay off the road. Just as I got down there, I saw a young couple strolling along the lake coming towards me. Also thought that end of the trail must be open and so then continued on the path as normal.