MUSKEGON, Mich. — The parking kiosks at Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon are turned off for the season. Collections will resume in May, with visitors paying $7 to park at the beach on Saturdays and $5 on other days of the week.
During the first summer of paid beach parking, the City of Muskegon collected around $510,000 and city leaders are considering a proposal to add about 200 additional paid parking spaces at the beach.
Muskegon Department of Public Works Director Leo Evans says the design under consideration would add one lane of angle parking along southbound Beach Street and an additional row of angle parking to the existing one-way section of Beach Street that goes southbound.
"Little bit more parking, little bit better parking," Evans said Monday.
Muskegon City Commissioners are expected to learn more about the proposal Tuesday afternoon.
Evans says the proposal would not only add additional parking spaces but also reduce traffic speeds near the beach.
"Because you'd have people backing in and out of spaces where you don't have that now," said Evans. "I think that would actually be a nice benefit to have through there."
The proposed design would also expand the existing sidewalk for pedestrians and bikers from about 5-feet wide to 20-feet.
The plan needs approval from the Muskegon City Commission. If that happens, construction could begin in the spring and finish in time for the beginning of the peak tourist season starting in mid-June.
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