Illinois lauds progress on Brandon Road Interbasin Project construction

SPRINGFIELD - The Brandon Road Interbasin Project on the Illinois River near Joliet took a significant step forward with the first construction contract awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, on Nov. 27.

The $15.5 million contract was awarded to Miami Marine Services for site preparation and riverbed rock removal for the engineered channel. Miami Marine will partner with Michels Construction of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for completion of this contract.

Brandon Road is a federal project, and together Illinois and Michigan serve as the non-federal sponsors. This initial construction contract is for the first of three construction increments for the estimated $1.15 billion project designed to prevent the upstream movement of invasive carp into the Great Lakes.

"Awarding the first construction contract is an exciting and important step forward for this long-anticipated project," said Governor JB Pritzker. "The Great Lakes are a priceless natural resource and a vital economic engine for the nation. Protecting them for future generations will always be a priority for the State of Illinois."

On July 1, Illinois signed a long-anticipated project partnership agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Michigan allowing construction of the barrier project. The milestone agreement allows $274 million in federal funding and $114 million in state funding from Illinois and Michigan.

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam has been identified as the critical pinch point where layered technologies could be used to stop invasive carp populations from moving into the Great Lakes. The Brandon Road project will implement a complex series of innovative deterrents at the lock and dam site to prevent the upstream movement of invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species on the Illinois Waterway.

Experts from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' offices of water resources, capital planning, and fisheries have worked closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the preconstruction, engineering, and design phases of the project, which started in December 2020.

In addition, design efforts were recently initiated by the State of Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers related to capital and operational improvements proposed for the Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery in Mason County to balance upstream aquatic impacts of the project on the Des Plaines River as required by the start of construction.

Go online for more information about the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.