Posted on April 13, 2026
DETROIT – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) awarded the second contract for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project on April 11. The $113.8 million contract will complete the remainder of the project’s Increment I.
The Brandon Road Interbasin Project is a complex ecosystem restoration project with innovative technological deterrents, designed to prevent invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species from moving upstream into the Great Lakes while minimizing impacts to Illinois Waterway users. The project will be largely implemented within the downstream approach channel to the Brandon Road Lock & Dam in Joliet, Ill.
The contract is awarded for the leading-edge deterrents, which serve as a first line of defense. These features include an automated barge clearing deterrent, bubble curtain deterrent, acoustic deterrent, leading-edge support facilities and an upstream boat ramp.
USACE will construct the deterrents in three construction increments to strategically deliver levels of layered defense.
The first award for Increment I included site prep and channel rock excavation. It was awarded in November of 2024 and completed in July 2025.
The remaining increments to be awarded include Increment II: Flushing Lock; Right Descending Bank Wall; and Channel Rock Excavation. Increment III will include: an Electric Deterrent; Acoustic Deterrent (Engineered Channel); Support Facilities Building; Engineered Channel Floor and Walls; and Downstream Boat Ramp.
