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.