Harsh winter takes toll on lakefront bike path

Winter's unusually high lake water levels have damaged theshoreline bike path, requiring Chicago Park District officials tospend $350,000 to patch areas that received a $700,000 face-lift justlast year.

Park advocates and bicycling enthusiasts, meanwhile, are lobbyingfor a permanent solution instead of resurfacing. But that does notappear likely to happen for years - until the federal governmentrebuilds the crumbling shoreline. Meanwhile, huge waves and nastystorms could continue to rip the asphalt off the path, requiringcontinual patching.

"It's a function of Chicago's shoreline," said Ronald Smith,Chicago Park District superintendent of engineering …