City to conduct shoreline study to assess affects of high lake levels

An overhead view of Burnham Park, which has been designated as one of the wet pavement areas by the Chicago Park District. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Park District
An overhead view of Burnham Park, which has been designated as one of the wet pavement areas by the Chicago Park District. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Park District

City to conduct shoreline study to assess affects of high lake levels

BY TIA CAROL JONES

As Lake Michigan rises and beachfront erosion continues, the City of Chicago Department of Transportation, along with the Department of Buildings, Chicago Park District, Streets and Sanitation and Office of Emergency Management and Communications will conduct a Shoreline Vulnerability Assessment.

Seventh Ward Alderman Greg Mitchell sent his constituents an email in January where he informed them that the assessment would take place in the coming weeks.

According to the email, three teams, which include CDOT, the Department of Buildings and engineering personnel, would assess the vulnerability of the exterior and interior of private properties.

The goal is to gain information in an effort to ask for state and federal assistance to deal with high lake levels.

The Chicago Park District has designated the Burnham Park, Washington Park and Jackson Park areas along the lakefront as wet pavement areas. On the website, it cautions residents that “due to rising lake levels, some lakefront sections have water washing up on the pavement that runs along the lake.”

After recent storms and high levels of water, Mayor Lori Lightfoot along with CDOT, the Chicago Park District and other departments took action to mitigate damage, prevent erosion and preserve infrastructure along Chicago’s North and South shoreline.

“The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Chicago Park District are committed to preserving infrastructure and mitigating damage along the shoreline caused by high lake levels and storms. In order to help the City better understand the full scope of shoreline vulnerability, CDOT and Parks are working closely to gather data on the potential damage to private property,” CDOT said in an emailed statement. “This is part of the City’s ongoing work with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to study and prepare for potential impacts of the near-record high lake levels in Lake Michigan.”

Part of those actions included the installation of 5,000 feet of jersey barriers and 1,000 feet of sandbags on the North and South shorelines, as a way to protect roadways from flooding during storms. Barriers also were placed from 49th to 50th Streets, 67th and 75th Streets as protection. In an effort to stop flooding, catch basins along the lakefront were cleared. Concrete barriers and sandbags were also placed at Lake Shore Drive and South Shore Drive to stop waves from flooding the streets.

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