For the next several months three beaches in Rogers Park will be construction zones—fencing off not just the beach but Juneway Park.
Officials say the plan is to start at Juneway and then working down to Rogers Beach and Howard Beach, likely blocking access well into the spring.
“We’ve been fighting to do something because we had fear of flooding, fear of our park being removed from right out under our feet,” said resident Tom Heineman.
CDOT is partnering with the US Army Corp of Engineers on an emergency project to protect what’s left of the beaches in the area.
Crews are set to place large boulders in the water to act as a wall.
Alderwoman Maria Hadden said she had been hearing residents’ concerns for months.
Proximity to the water is why many people say they moved to Rogers Park in the first place; Now, it seems many residents could soon leave precisely for that same reason.
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“It’s kind of an unstoppable force,” said another resident, John Drachenberg. “I would hate to leave this area because I really love living here.”
Officials said work on each beach will take anywhere from four to five weeks to be completed.
