Our Stories

A Bridge, Finally

By Kenny Wawsczyk, NCTA Regional Trail Coordinator

Patience and perseverance paid off as NCTA Chief Baw Beese Chapter volunteers recently put the finishing touches on a boardwalk and bridge over the East Branch of the St. Joseph River in Southern Michigan.

This particular water crossing in the Lost Nation State Game Area has long been on the Chapter’s upgrade list. For years, shuffling across a downed log was the only option. While a fun challenge for some, it wasn’t exactly a welcoming or viable option for every trail user.

The Chapter and I had many discussions over the years with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), who manages this state game area. Because a bridge here would be longer than 25 feet, engineering is required and the design needs to be approved by the DNR. Adhering to regulations like this is critical for trail (and partnership) integrity, but the process is time consuming.

In the meantime, the Chapter sought ways to make any progress they could.

Most of the route into the site was wide enough for machinery to haul in the long and heavy bridge beams, but one section was a bit too narrow. So last summer, volunteers got to work widening the trail. This not only assisted the incoming bridge crew, but created a more accessible path to the bridge that now meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Finally, in December 2025, all necessary permits were in-hand.

Construction began on a Monday in early March, with the temperature comfortably in the 60s. The plan was to get as much accomplished and staged as possible, as we knew these conditions wouldn’t last long. Spring weather in Michigan is nothing short of precarious.

Thanks to Custom Manufacturing, our bridge contractors from Wisconsin, a skid steer was used to transport all materials within 150 yards of the site. And thanks to the Chapter’s trail widening efforts, nearly everything could be hauled the remaining distance using a mini-track loader. Hauling in the 8-foot lumber was done the old-fashioned way.

After bolting 19-foot steel beams together, now rendering them about 800 pounds, the mystery remained of how to get them across the river. Turns out, a mini-track loader plus six people in waders was the answer.

By Wednesday afternoon, there sat a 38-foot, steel-beamed bridge over the East Branch, which had risen at least a foot after the previous night’s rainstorm. A rain like that showed why a new bridge was needed, as the water level reached the bottom of the old log bridge and any more would have washed it away – which has happened in the past.

The Chapter held two additional workdays to assemble boardwalks on either side of the bridge, and to finish the railings.

What took us over a decade of asking and planning was fully completed in one week.

This bridge is a tremendous improvement for trail users in regards to both safety and comfort. Many, many thanks go to Chief Baw Beese Chapter President, Bruce Dziadzio, as well as every volunteer who played a role in completing this project and the Michigan DNR.

This project could not have been accomplished without airtight partnership. It’s another excellent example of how far your membership goes: When you support the NCTA, you enable staff like me to act as a necessary liaison between state agencies, contractors, and our boots-on-the-ground volunteers. Together, we ensured the work was done safely and effectively. And now, our trail users have a brand new bridge to help them enjoy the trail here so much more.