New South Shore Park Beach Takes Shape

Beach in South Shore Park. Photo taken March 13, 2025 by Graham Kilmer.

The new, $8 million beach at South Shore Park is taking shape.

Along the park’s southern shoreline, beyond the pavilion, two large stone breakwaters now jut out into the marina. New sand is being trucked in and laid between them. The original sandy and disappointing stretch of beach 500 feet to the north has been torn up for seeding and planting in the spring.

Construction is running on schedule and the beach will be open in time for summer, according to Milwaukee County Parks. The department expects the new beach will be open more frequently than the old one, which often closed for water quality issues.

Parks worked with the McLellan Lab at UW-Milwaukee to study the beach and the local water conditions, and SmithGroup to design the new beach. It sits closer to the mouth of the breakwater enclosing the marina and will offer better water flow. A steeper grade and larger sand should help, too. The combination of stagnant water and bird droppings earned the original beach the distinction of being one of the worst beaches in the nation for pollution.

Construction began in November. A rock revetment was laid and new breakwater installed. The northern breakwater includes a walking path along the top. So far, 8,000 tons of sand have been trucked in. The effort moved forward thanks to a grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Further out in the water, a much more expensive marina breakwater project is nearing completion.

The beach project is one of many included in the regional area of concern abatement project.

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Prior Beach

South Shore Park Beach prior to 2025 relocation. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

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