$1.2 Million Reconstruction Project Closes Lake Forest Beach Road

LAKE FOREST, IL — The south beach access road to Forest Park Beach, already eroding before this summer's heavy rainfall, has been shut down for construction work. A $1.2 million project by the City of Lake Forest to repair damage from 30 years of erosion will limit traffic on the north entrance to the beach, Daily North Shore reported. City officials said the work is scheduled to be done by December and ready for next year's beach and boating season.

After July's heavy rains also made two-way traffic on the north beach road impossible, city staff acted as flaggers to manage the flow of cars, but drivers are now on their own, according to Chuck Myers, Lake Forest's superintendent of parks. Daily North Shore notes that motorists have been advised to look out for oncoming traffic, yield and "self regulate," according to Myers.

The south road project is being funded by a mix of the city's Capital Improvement Fund, permit fees from the construction of the new Lake Forest Hospital and impact fees from the Laurel and Western residential project, the city's finance director told the Lake Forester.

_{Location of Forest Park Beach access roads (Google Maps)}

At a City Council meeting in May, Public Works Director Mike Thomas said the cause for the slippage of the bluff dates back to a project to renovate Forest Park Beach in the 1980's, the paper reported. Thomas explained the access roads were expanded by bringing in some fill material, which has shifted in the past 30 years. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Lake Forest — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry Sally Swarthout said the city has commissioned an engineering study to figure out how to deal with the erosion on the north road, according to Daily North Shore. After the study is complete the city will seek bids to try to reverse the damage.

» Read more from Steve Sadin in Daily North Shore

_{Top image: Mid-ravine spillway failure and road damage on the Forest Park Beach access road | via City of Lake Forest}