On Dec. 29, USACE and State of Illinois signed a design agreement allowing for Pre-construction Engineering and Design (PED) to be completed for the Brandon Road Project once funds are received. Additionally, Illinois signed an agreement with the State of Michigan to assist in funding the project.

The November/December issue of the Tower Times is now available online.

The Rock Island District's roots can be traced to a Congressional Act in 1866 when funds were first appropriated for improving navigation on the Upper Mississippi River. Over the years, the boundaries and responsibilities of the District have changed but its mission of providing vital civil works programs to the Midwest, the Mississippi River Valley and the Nation has remained unchanged.

As of Oct. 29, all locks on the Illinois Waterway have reopened to navigation after a series of extended, consolidated closures. Peoria Lock was the first to reopen on Sept. 28, followed by LaGrange Lock on Oct.13, and Dresden Island, Starved Rock and Marseilles on Oct. 29.