City battles erosion of Rogers Park beaches

CHICAGO - Some of Chicago’s most beautiful beaches are now destroyed and unusable. After years of erosion caused by rising lake levels, the city is now fighting back.

You won't find much peace and quiet at Juneway Beach, for now, anyway.

Since Monday, construction crews have been hauling and dumping tons of crushed rock to rebuild and protect the shoreline that has been battered by massive waves.

"We're placing about 10,000 cubic yards of rip rap and armor stone,” said Tom Carney, Acting CDOT Commissioner. “And it's designed to protect what we have up there from further erosion."

Rogers Park is ground zero in the battle to protect the lakefront.

After Juneway Beach, construction will get underway at Rogers Avenue and Howard Street beaches, which have seen some of the worst damage.

Where once there were sand, grass, and trees, now there is broken concrete and a lot less land.

"They just kept moving the barriers farther and farther towards the street until I guess they finally decided to fill it in,” said Cathy Chauimard-Hasmonek, a resident of the area. 

Rogers Park lifer Reid Hyams has documented the changes over the years. He welcomes the city's help.

“There definitely needs to be a longer term plan,” said Hyams. “But right now we need an emergency plan. That's what you're seeing."

GET FOX 32 NEWS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

The city fix won't help property owners who've seen substantial damage. They're responsible for their own reinforcements.

"It's really sad and disturbing because you don't know how high the water's going to keep coming up,” said Craig Sautter, Rogers Park resident. 

It’ll take about three months to finish these three beaches, at a cost of more than $2 million.