Recalling the old Edgewater Beachwalk of the 1920s-1950s and using Virginia Beach's broad concrete walk for inspiration, Morry Matson and the Edgewater Beachwalk Proposal Committee are gearing up to make a serious bid for the reconstruction of the lost "beachwalk" from the Lakeshore Path trailhead north to Loyola's campus at Devon (h/t: Gapers Block). No small feat, Matson and the crew have launched a petition (online and on the street) for advancement of the concept to a local ballot vote. Should Edgewater residents sign off on the project—resistance from lakefront condo owners can be reasonably expected—construction might begin as early as 2015. Some 770 signatures have been collected and a letter to Senator Dick Durbin seeking federal funding went out in June. Matson hopes for tens of thousands of signatures by year's end.
The four-section proposal would carry walkers and bikers beyond the obstructions of private beaches (without denying access for lakefront residents), rocky shoals, and cul-de-sacs on a 50-foot-wide right-of-way featuring a 28-foot-wide concrete boardwalk. It would link up several small parks along the way. In theory, Matson has the support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel who has proposed a shorter trail extension to Thorndale Avenue. According to DNAinfo, Matson is floating a $200M estimate for the mile-long boardwalk.
·Edgewater Beachwalk Chicago [official]
·Neighbors Want Boardwalk to Link Edgewater, Rogers Park [DNAinfo]
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