CHICAGO RIVER

 

+ Project Snapshot

The City of Chicago wanted to enlarge a small parking lot located along the Chicago River. However, due to site limitations, the proposed expansion required building on an unstable riverbank. To complete the project, the shoreline needed to be permanently stabilized. The City of Chicago recognized that the site is highly visible due to the Belmont Avenue Bridge and the current landscaping was an eyesore. Envirolok was chosen because it could address both of these issues. Envirolok could stabilize the slope for the parking lot expansion and provide an aesthetically please look for people driving by. The Envirolok system was installed in the fall of 2007 and seeded in the spring of 2008. Geogrid was used to reinforce the slope and provide added strength and stability along the riverbank. The entire system was planted with native plant plugs and hydroseeded for lush vegetation. A stormwater discharge pipe was integrated into the Envirolok system to provide an outlet for runoff from the parking lot. The system is still going strong and provides an aesthetic and functional solution to the problem.