Beginning in April of 2003, the Belmont-Diversey Revetment project removed old crumbling limestone protection barriers from a 1,700-foot stretch along the lake and replaced the shoreline with a new multi-tiered concrete structure that can also be used as a pedestrian promenade. The Army Corp of Engineers completed the project to protect the shoreline from erosion, greatly reduce the risk of flooding on Lake Shore Drive and improve community access to the waterfront.
In total, 270 original limestone art stones were reused to complete the landscape, where they were sunk into the ground along the new concrete revetment. In addition, 40 new trees were planted on the eight acres of land that received new topsoil and sod.
The revetment rectified safety hazards that existed along the original lakefront wall by:
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replacing sections of the current rocks that were unstable and in positions that made them precarious and unsafe for people to walk
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restored stability where large sections of the rocks, or the foundations beneath them, have collapsed or where wave action over the years has created dangerous caverns under the rocks
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eliminated hazards caused by the numerous and large gaps and holes that currently exist in long sections of the rocks, which made walking along them dangerous for many and impossible for some