The Brandon Road Interbasin Project is a complex ecosystem protection effort designed to prevent upstream movement of invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes from the Illinois Waterway. Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois, has been identified as the critical pinch point where layered technologies could be used to prevent movement of invasive carp populations into the Great Lakes.    

Pre-construction engineering and design of the project was initiated Dec. 29, 2020, when the state of Illinois signed a design agreement with the USACE Rock Island District. In July 2024, the states of Illinois and Michigan signed a partnership agreement with the USACE Rock Island District, moving the project into construction phase. This agreement allowed $274 million in federal funding and $114 million in state funding to be used for construction of the first of three construction increments of the $1.15 billion project.

Construction Progress

Contractors used an underwater jackhammer called an “Xcentric Ripper” to break up and remove bedrock from within the river channel below the Brandon Road Lock to make way for the engineered channel for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.
A contractor working on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project uses an excavator on a barge to gather broken bedrock from the bottom of the Illinois Waterway and place it on another barge for removal from the site.
Rock which has been excavated from the river channel for construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project near Joliet, Illinois, is unloaded from a barge and placed into trucks for use in another area of the project.
Contractors for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project place rock excavated from the channel of Illinois Waterway on the south side of the Brandon Road Lock to build access roads for future construction access needs.
Contractors for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project work through the night to complete rock excavation in the channel of the Illinois Waterway.

A comprehensive project overview video of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project that uses satellite imagery and digitally rendered structures to provide a detailed visualization of the multi-layered technologies being designed to prevent the upstream movement of invasive carp.

A graphic showing features of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project

An overview of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project site and its features.

Construction Increment I:

(A) Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent, Leading Edge Bubble Deterrent, Leading Edge Acoustic Deterrent Array, Leading Edge Support Facilities, and Upstream Boat Launch 
(B) Site Prep, Channel Rock Excavation

Construction Increment II:

Electric Deterrent, Wide Acoustic Deterrent Array, Complete Control Building, Right Descending Bank Wall Connect to Lower Guidewall, Flushing Lock, Downstream Boat Launch

Construction Increment III:

Complete Engineered Channel

Non-Structural Measures

Non-structural measures, implemented in conjunction with other federal agencies, could include public education and outreach, monitoring, integrated pest management, manual or mechanical removal, and research and development.

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April 2025 Newsletter

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Supplemental Information

Contact Us

For more information on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project contact the Rock Island District at: (309) 794-4200 or email: cemvr-cc@usace.army.mil