City officials have determined that the beaches at Rogers and Howard Beach parks are no longer salvageable following last weekend’s major lakefront storm. The sand on the beaches has been replaced by rip rap, or armored rocks used to help stop erosion along the shoreline.
In a social media post following the storm, 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden explained that the ward’s previous shoreline stabilization efforts late last year were effective at Juneway Beach, but not at the Rogers and Howard beaches.
“Originally, plans for Rogers and Howard Beaches included retaining access to the beach,” Hadden’s post said, “but the lake has spoken and, due to the damage experienced this weekend, [Chicago Department of Transportation] has determined this is no longer a possibility.”
Last year’s stabilization remains a “temporary emergency stopgap” designed to last three to five years while U.S. Rep Jan Schakowsky aims to address the city’s entire lakefront with Congress’ backing, Hadden said.
The CDOT’s response to last week’s storm and the upcoming beach work, included near the bottom of Hadden’s social media post, is below.
“During the January 11, 2020 storm the new Juneway Beach rip rap revetment performed well, however, at Rogers and Howard Beaches where we tried to preserve some small beach areas as requested by the community, we observed signs of erosion due to the intensity of the storm. We are in the process of adding the eroded areas to the current scope and have them completed with additional rip rap and armor stone by the middle of February.”
