Marine IMPROVED BEACH ACCESS TO LAKE MICHIGAN

INSIDE THE PROJECT

The project required shoreline construction at Rosewood Park that included offshore breakwalls in shallow water.

Rosewood Park was gifted to the City of Highland Park by the Julius Rosenwald family who was one of the founders of Sears and Roebuck. The City of Highland Park funded the Corps of Engineers to reconstruct the park’s shoreline for recreational use. The reconstruction also involved extensive plantings and removal of invasive species. The shoreline was enhanced with three, offshore breakwalls, and two groins structures. These structures were constructed of stone products ranging from 10-pound Core Stone to 5-Ton Armor Stone. Manufactured near Manitowoc, WI by Valders Stone, the stone materials were trucked to the dock in Manitowoc, loaded on barges and towed to the project site, which was very shallow. The delivery barges were lightened to a shallower draft, which allowed them access to the point of placement. The neighborhood adjacent to the park required strict adherence to noise and working hour regulations.

WHY IT MATTERS

Recreational access along Lake Michigan is very limited. Managing and maintaining these parks is a great benefit to the local communities.