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Singing Sands boardwalk retrofit to close trail for weeks; Phase 3 funding moved to regional planner
Summary
City staff said a design flaw at a recently built Singing Sands boardwalk requires a roughly $300,000 retrofit and will close the trail for about two months; Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission will manage Phase 3 funds after redesign reduced costs by more than $1 million.
Michigan City park staff told the Parks and Recreation Board on Feb. 5 that reconstruction work is needed at a boardwalk near Peanut Bridge after a design review found the structure was not rated for vehicle loads used for maintenance.
The city convened a pre-construction meeting for the retrofit and expects mobilization within about two weeks. Staff estimated the retrofit at roughly $300,000 and said the work could take up to eight weeks; the trail will remain closed while the firm performs the under-structure repairs. The project is being paid by the design firm that originally built the boardwalk.
Concurrently, the city is coordinating with the water department, which is installing a new lift station at Lake Avenue just north of Peanut Bridge. Staff said running both projects together is advantageous because it avoids multiple trail closures.
In separate but related work, Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) is now holding the funds to complete Singing Sands Trail Phase 3. Parks staff reported that a redesign reduced projected costs by slightly more than $1 million, allowing the city match to cover right-of-way acquisition and move the project forward. NIRPC will manage final design, right-of-way services, construction and inspection for Phase 3.
Why it matters: repairs will temporarily close part of the Singing Sands Trail to users for maintenance and construction, and Phase 3 management by a regional agency is intended to accelerate completion using federal highway and transit funding streams.
Staff said construction of the boardwalk retrofit should begin within weeks and that they expect the portion of trail work to be complete in a timeline that fits the agency fiscal cycle, with winter tree work scheduled and construction hoped to be finished in calendar 2026 under NIRPC management.
Ending: Staff will issue press releases and social-media notices about the trail closure and coordinate schedules between contractors to minimize public disruption.
