Start at the light where US-12 meets Whittaker Street and head west. Within a couple of blocks the shops give way to the Galien River. The road bridge carries cars toward the lake, and everyone on foot shares one sidewalk next to that traffic. The Public Marina is on your left and the Stray Dog on your right. At the end of Whittaker you reach the beach lot, Lions Pavilion Park and the sand.
That crossing is the one stretch of New Buffalo that nearly every beach day passes over. It is also the one the city has now decided to rebuild for walkers. On July 20, 2026, the New Buffalo City Council awarded Rausch Infrastructure LLC a $3,497,544 contract to build the Galien River Pedestrian Bridge next to the Whittaker Street bridge. The more expensive part of the waterfront plan, a new broadside dock, has stalled on cost. The footbridge is the piece that went ahead.
The Crossing as It Works Today
The route from downtown to the water is short and simple. Here it is, step by step, as the New Buffalo visitor guide lays it out:
- Start at the intersection of US-12 and Whittaker Street, the town center.
- Walk west on Whittaker and cross the Galien River on the existing road bridge.
- Pass the Public Marina on the left and the Stray Dog Restaurant on the right.
- Continue to where Whittaker ends. Turn left for the Beach Park, or right for the public boat launch.
At the end you reach New Buffalo Beach and Lakefront Park. The same guide describes an 18-acre recreation area with a boardwalk, restrooms, concessions and fishing access. Lions Pavilion Park, home of the New Buffalo Lions Club, sits across the street from the beach with picnic tables, grills, a playground and a pavilion that often hosts events.
The weak point is step two. City Manager Darwin Watson has described the problem simply: Whittaker carries car traffic while people walk right beside it. One response to the city's parks and recreation survey made the same complaint years earlier, objecting to crowding on "one sidewalk with traffic." At the July meeting where the contract was awarded, Council Member Mark Robertson said the same thing more bluntly:
"The current situation walking to the beach is getting to be dangerous."
He made that case for the bridge in a Harbor Country News report on the contract award, adding that conditions for people walking to the beach have become increasingly hazardous.
How a $1 Million Grant Turned Into a $3.5 Million Contract
The bridge started with a state grant. In fall 2023, New Buffalo received a $1 million Revitalization and Placemaking grant, administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, for a pedestrian bridge over the Galien River. At the time, WSJM reported that the grant was a match and that the bridge was expected to cost about $2 million.
When bids opened in July 2026, the city received three, from Anlaan, Grand River Construction and Rausch Infrastructure. Staff and the city's engineering firm checked them against estimates and references before recommending Rausch.
| Item | Figure | When |
|---|---|---|
| State RAP 2.0 grant for the bridge | $1,000,000 | Awarded fall 2023 |
| Early bridge cost estimate | About $2 million | Reported October 2023 |
| Rausch Infrastructure contract | $3,497,544 | Awarded July 20, 2026 |
| Broadside dock, second-round low bid | $6.8 million | Reported summer 2026 |
At the awarded price, the grant pays for less than a third of the bridge contract. The dock shows why the bridge, at that price, still went ahead. After the second round of broadside-dock bids, Watson said the city would need close to $5 million on top of what it had to build the dock at those figures. He blamed a 50 to 60 percent rise in steel prices and the cost of dredging river material.
The two projects had been drawn together. The original bridge plans showed how a broadside dock would fit into the lakefront. Once dock bids came in much higher than expected, the bridge plans were changed, and Watson said images will be posted on the city's website once final drawings are complete. As of summer 2026 the dock is still waiting for a way forward. The crossing is the part of the waterfront plan that has a contractor.
What Will Actually Be Built
The project description on Abonmarche's bidding page is the most detailed public account so far. It calls for a 160-foot prefabricated pedestrian bridge next to the existing Whittaker Street bridge over the Galien River. Steel-framed concrete boardwalks and a new sidewalk will tie the bridge into the existing path. Construction involves driving steel-encased concrete piles and installing pile-supported abutments, using temporary cofferdams that are pumped dry.
Put plainly, people walking to the beach will get their own span over the river, connected by boardwalk to the paths they already use. They will no longer have to squeeze onto the sidewalk of the road bridge.
Several details have not been published yet:
- Which side of the Whittaker Street bridge the new span will sit on
- Its width
- Exactly where it lands on the downtown bank and the beach bank
- Whether it will include lighting or fishing features
The city's own records add little so far. The August 12 Harbor Commission minutes note that the city manager gave an update on the bridge but record no details. The October 7 Harbor Commission agenda lists a bridge update again, alongside updates on winterizing the marina and public docks and on post-dredge soundings by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As of early October 2026, no public record we reviewed confirms that construction has started or announces any closure on Whittaker Street, the beach lot or the marina area. In July, Watson said the signed contract would go to the state, which issues the notice to proceed.
The date that matters is May 2027. The bridge must be finished by then for the city to receive the $1 million grant. That deadline falls just as the 2027 beach season begins. The building work has to fit between now and then.
The Lot Where the Walk Ends
The bridge fixes the walk. The lot at the end of it has its own changes. The beach lot holds about 207 cars, 200 standard spaces and 7 accessible spaces, according to the local visitor guide. As of July 2026, the Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce beach page lists paid parking from April 1 through October 31, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. The rate is $25 for the day or $15 for three hours. Payment is by credit card at the kiosks or through the Passport Parking app, and sunrise and sunset parking is free.
That same July 20 council meeting also took on the lot itself. In a memo to council, the city manager described an "inherent issue with enforcement" under the current beach parking policy. Many parking tickets were being appealed because the city could not tell when a car arrived versus when its driver paid. Council approved buying a system from Spot Parking, Inc. that tracks cars moving through the lot and how long each has been there. The memo says this will let the city adjust how much time people get to pay. Installation and the first year's subscription cost $25,969, with a $1,032 monthly subscription after that. Harbor Country News reported that the equipment will run for about six months each year and includes a sign near the front of the beach parking area. Public records don't yet say whether Spot works alongside the current payment options or replaces them.
The same meeting heard a request about the busiest days. During public comment, council heard a request to allow brief passenger drop-offs near the beach when the lot is full, especially for people with disabilities or others who need help. The request noted that drivers who stop to drop someone off can currently get a ticket. The coverage doesn't say whether the city acted on it. Together, the new bridge, the parking system and the drop-off request all deal with the same last stretch of the trip to the beach.
The Whittaker Street End of the Walk
The walk begins downtown, and that end has picked up new places to stop along the way. The Standard Subs opened at 19 N. Whittaker St. in May, and the Herald-Palladium's June story listed hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Hours tend to change with the season, so check before you go. A/Studio, Andrew Schorr's interior design studio, has opened at 45 S. Whittaker St. Around the corner, Book~Shore opened March 26 at 10 W. Merchant St. and planned to stay open year-round, with shorter hours in winter.
The fall calendar gives you a few more reasons to make the walk. The New Buffalo events calendar lists a chili cook-off at Skip's European Farmers Market on October 11 and a craft fair at New Buffalo High School on October 17. Event details can change, so confirm with the organizers. Paid parking at the beach is listed as ending October 31, so walks from downtown to the water in November cost nothing to park for. No start date for construction on the river crossing has been announced. If the bridge meets its grant deadline, people walking to the beach next spring will cross the Galien on a span built for them.
Changes like a new bridge, a new parking system or a busier downtown block shape how a property near Whittaker Street lives day to day, and that can affect what it's worth. If you own near the downtown-to-beach route and want to know how its location plays into value today, Shoreline Advice can walk through it with you. Request a Free Home Valuation, and we will build it from the details of your street.
