Work to prepare Silver Beach County Park for the rush of summer visitors has about wrapped up, and those who head below the bluff in St. Joseph may notice a few of the changes.

Speaking to the Berrien County Board of Commissioners this week, County Administrator Brian Dissette said a new feeder lane at the park entrance has been completed to give cars more ways in.

“The new asphalt is in place, the new curb and gutter, ETC,” Dissette said. “There is also some upgraded sidewalks to ensure that we’ve got easy access for anyone going in or out of the park. And the sidewalks do include the ADA ramps to ensure that we’re fully compliant on that.”

Plus, they’re putting in some new lighting.

Dissette said the city of St. Joseph has also made adjustments to the traffic patterns around the beach. The city’s changes have made Broad Street below the bluff a one-way street so there are lanes to the park. The city has also blocked off one of the sidewalks to the park and rerouted pedestrians to create less foot traffic competing with vehicle traffic.

With the first day of summer officially on Friday, the city and the county will be looking at the results and adjusting their strategies as conditions change throughout the season.