Construction of more than four miles of wave barrier and access road on the Green Bay lake bed served larger efforts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restore Cat Islands, a small chain that functioned much like coastal barrier islands, protecting shallow bays and wetlands, before being washed away in the 1970s.
Completed in 18 months, the 4-ft-high to 8-ft-high dike includes armor stone sides and a 12-ft-wide graveled road. A series of 24-in.-dia and 84-in.-dia concrete culverts are designed to contend with surges caused by fluctuating water levels. They also will promote circulation among islands made of 270 acres of material dredged from the bay.