The City of Duluth crews have made significant progress with the Brighton Beach Restoration project. After several weeks of severe storms and flooding in the Northland, Brighton Beach has a new walkway extending the Duluth Lakewalk.

Jim Topie the president with the Friends of the Lakewalk organization says Brighton Beach now offers several new amenities. There is now new restrooms, picnic tables, benches, outdoor grills, hammock stands, and even out outdoor playground. Although Topie says there’s still work needed at Brighton Beach.

“They have started putting in the roadway, which the city plans to have accomplished by this fall. So at this time, it appears that things are on time. This past year, they finished putting in the lake walk. Then now this year, they’re finishing that up.”

The City of Duluth estimates the project will finish up by September later this year. Topie says people can enjoy the new blacktop for walking, cycling, etc. although there is still lackluster parking at the moment.

“Parking is not present, though. You have to park and walk into the park. But it’s really important to stay within the Lakewalk. As well as there’s handicapped sidewalks that people with handicapped can us. As well as day-to-day gravel trails leading down to the different beaches along the lake.”

Topie says the Friends of the Lakewalk do not have any upcoming plans with Brighton Beach at the moment. Although he did say their previous work with planting Yellow Lady Slipper flowers last year are bringing new flora life to the beach.

“A year and a half ago, we as a group, Friends of the Lake Walk with the city, as well as community volunteers, relocated about one hundred different yellow lady slippers,” Topie said. “Those were relocated, and this spring, we took a look at them. They did transplant successfully and bloomed this year.”

For more information about the reconstruction project you can read more here. Also for other stories with Brighton Beach you can read more here.