Design and Construction Report
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the first construction contract for the $1.15 billion Brandon Road Interbasin Project, aimed at preventing invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes.
The $15.5 million contract, awarded to Miami Marine Services, covers site preparation and riverbed rock removal for an engineered channel at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River in Joliet. Miami Marine will partner with Michels Construction, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to complete the work. Construction is set to begin today, with work expected to continue through March.
The project is a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Illinois, and Michigan, and is the first of three construction phases for the project. The Brandon Road Lock and Dam was identified as a key location to use layered technologies to block invasive carp from spreading into the Great Lakes. These technologies include noisemakers, a bubble curtain, an electric barrier, and a flushing lock.
Invasive carp, which were introduced to the southern U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s, pose a significant threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem. If the carp pass through the lock and dam, they could enter the Chicago Area Waterway System, which connects to Lake Michigan. The invasive fish could outcompete native species and threaten the $20 billion fishing and boating industries in the region.
“By moving ahead with construction in a timely manner, the Army Corps of Engineers and the states of Illinois and Michigan clearly recognize the threat invasive carp pose to the Great Lakes,” said Molly Flanagan, chief operating officer of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “The Alliance appreciates their continued dedication to stopping invasive carp from wreaking havoc on the Great Lakes.”
Illinois signed an agreement with federal and state officials in 2024, to unlock $274 million in federal funding for the project. The federal government will cover 90 percent of the cost, while Michigan and Illinois will contribute $114 million toward the barrier.