The Chicago Lakefront Plan - 1986

by Charles W. Shabica, Northeastern Illinois Univ, Chicago, IL, USA,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Coastal Zone '87

Abstract:

Although Chicago is considered to have one of the world's most beautiful and also stable waterfronts, much of its shore protection is in imminent danger of failure. Nearly 80% of Chicago's 48 kilometers of lakeshore is armored landfill. Approximately 30 kilometers of the armor was built in the early part of this century, and is close-driven wood piles capped with stepped cut-stone. The shore protection structures were built for an established design lake level which has been exceeded this year, and may be exceeded by 1 meter in the near future. Although the structures have held up remarkably well over the years, the rate of deterioration will accelerate if no action is taken to repair them. In two sections of the Chicago lakeshore that are not protected by landfill, residential buildings are undergoing storm wave attack due to loss of protective beaches. Short and long term management solutions include revetments and sheet pile reinforcement of the wood pile structures, and offshore breakwaters and islands to protect endangered buildings.

Subject Headings: Coastal management | Wood piles | Sheet piles | Offshore structures | Coastal protection structures | Revetments | Landfills | Chicago | Illinois | United States | Great Lakes

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