The Morgan Shoal Revetment Reconstruction project, which aims to address shoreline erosion and storm damage between 45th and 51st streets along Chicago’s lakefront, is moving forward as public input continues. The initiative seeks to replace deteriorating protective barriers—over 90 percent of which have failed—with new features designed to reinforce the area and improve amenities.
The proposed design includes installing 3,700 feet of large armor stones, creating a 1,000-foot pebble beach, and constructing an 800-foot section of terraced concrete similar to existing structures elsewhere on the lakefront. Plans also call for approximately seven acres of new park space with additional amenities such as lookout points at 47th and 51st streets, separated pedestrian and bike paths along the Lakefront Trail, new restrooms near 49th Street, natural lawn areas including a dune zone akin to that at 63rd Street Beach, and improved accessibility between the pedestrian bridge and water’s edge at 51st Street.
Officials emphasized that significant geological features—the limestone shoal itself and the nearby Silver Spray shipwreck site—will remain undisturbed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is partnering with the Chicago Department of Transportation and Park District on the project; final designs and construction will be managed by the city’s Public Building Commission.
Col. Kenneth Rockwell, commander of the Army Corps’ Chicago District, stated: “The proposal considered by the federal review ‘is not a final design — this is a proposed framework.’ We are not wedded to any design, we are not wedded to any format, we are not wedded to any project.”
A draft environmental review released in September identified temporary disturbances to lake habitat and removal of 52 trees during construction as “minor” adverse impacts. Michael Padilla, project manager for the Army Corps’ Chicago District explained: “That’s not what we’re proposing,” referring to major changes that would prevent future shoreline access.
Positive outcomes cited in the review include planting about 200 trees and establishing nearly four acres of new habitats—dune, oak savanna, and prairie areas. Recreational access will be affected during demolition but a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists will stay open. Social impacts involve relocating limestone blocks carved by community members; some will be reused as seating or reinforcements throughout the park.
To mitigate ecological effects further, no maritime work will occur from November through April when mudpuppies inhabit the area; tree removal will also avoid bat breeding seasons.
Public comments on these plans are accepted until March 27 via email or online submission.
At a recent meeting at Kennicott Park on March 5—rescheduled from October due to a federal shutdown—residents reiterated calls for greater transparency and inclusion in decision-making. Two resident-led alternative designs were presented following workshops aimed at developing community-driven proposals.
Casey Breen, landscape designer leading these efforts said: “We’ve done our own education around design literacy, sketched out ideas together, and we have some alternative proposals… All we want is a seat at the table. We want transparency, we want to be a part of the process in a way that we haven’t allowed before.”
Concerns persist over maintenance funding after construction concludes so repairs do not quickly become necessary again. Breen added: “I hope [the Corps] can actually work with the other agencies that are part of this project … to come up with a solution because the solution can’t simply be that there’s not going to be any maintenance.”
Additionally, Advocates for Morgan Shoal sent a letter urging Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to investigate possible violations related to historic preservation laws connected with this project.
Morgan Shoal remains one of two unfinished sections under Chicago’s Shoreline Protection Project first funded by Congress in 1996; Promontory Point is undergoing its own redesign process separately. A provision in a recent defense bill requires federal funding for most costs associated with locally preferred renovation plans for both sites while allowing local stakeholders more say over final designs (https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/12/28/congress-passes-bill-that-could-save-promontory-point-morgan-shoal-with-mostly-federal-dollars/).
