Beach road reroute draws concern

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Headlights from a car leave a trail while zipping along South Lake Shore Drive adjacent to Big Foot Beach State Park. Erosion of the roadbed has prompted a proposal from the Department of Natural Resources to reroute the road through the park across the street. A group opposed to the plan wants to keep the road where it is. Terry Mayer photo

South Lake Shore Drive winds along Geneva Lake adjacent to Big Foot Beach State Park. A Department of Natural Resources proposal would reroute the road into the park. Some say the change would improve access to the park and stop erosion from the lake onto the road. Others say the change would destroy trees and the natural beauty of the lakefront. Terry Mayer photo

LAKE GENEVA — Dick Malmin has lived in Lake Geneva for more than 30 years and has come to develop a deep appreciation for the unique ambience of Big Foot Beach State Park.

But a proposal to reroute South Lake Shore Drive, which hugs the beach along Buttons Bay on the eastern end of Geneva Lake, could change the entire complexion of the park, Malmin says.

The plan by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would move the road, known to locals as Paradise Drive, into the park several hundred feet and loop it around the lagoon.

“It will destroy 22 percent of the trees in the park,” Malmin said. “The lagoon would be opened up into the lake. Once it's opened up to the lake, it's going to reach out into the lake and cause some severe problems.”

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