Durbin, Duckworth Celebrate State Of Illinois Closing On Land Needed To Continue Construction Of Brandon Road Project
Land donation by Midwest Generation allows project to move forward in effort to protect the Great Lakes region and economy
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today celebrated the State of Illinois closing on the acquisition of a nearly 50-acre parcel of property in Will County needed for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a federal project designed to prevent invasive carp from accessing the Great Lakes. The property, which includes riverbed access forthe Brandon Road lock, was donated to the state by Midwest Generation LLC.
The Brandon Road Project will construct a new engineered channel at Brandon Road in Joliet, Illinois, that will be used to test and deploy a range of technologies that will prevent invasive carp from moving further north to the Great Lakes.
“Invasive carp poses a real economic and environmental threat to one of our region’s most valuable resources, the Great Lakes. Completing the Brandon Road Project is one of the most effective ways we can address this threat and protect Illinois’ fresh water,” said Durbin. “After years of advocacy by the Illinois delegation, at both the federal and state levels, today marks a major milestone in the progress of the Brandon Road Project. Acquiring this land will allow the project to move forward and ensure our Great Lakes are protected for generations to come.”
“The Brandon Road Project is critical in protecting the Great Lakes’ exposure to invasive carp, a growing threat to our entire inland waterways system, our nation’s economy and to the countless Illinois communities and businesses that rely on strong and vibrant aquatic ecosystems,” Duckworth said. “We have been working for years to advance this project and I’m glad to see Governor Pritzker taking necessary action to move construction forward. I’ll keep working with federal and state leaders to ensure Brandon Road continues to receive necessary support.”
In December, Durbin and Duckworth successfully included a provision in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) to increase the federal cost share for the Brandon Road Project. Under the provision, the federal government will pay 90 percent of the operation and maintenance costs for Brandon Road after the project’s construction is complete, significantly lowering the costs of maintaining the infrastructure for Illinois.
In July 2024, Durbin and Duckworth applauded Illinois, Michigan, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for signing a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) regarding the Brandon Road Project, which was necessary to ensure that the Brandon Road Project moves forward and does not lose valuable federal funding for its construction.
Durbin and Duckworth have been tireless advocates for the Brandon Road Project and finding a comprehensive approach to protecting the Great Lakes from the threat of invasive carp. Through previous Water Resources Development Acts, they secured authorization for design and construction of the Brandon Road Project and increased the federal cost-share for construction of the project.
The Senators previously secured $225.8 million in construction funding for the project from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and $47.3 million in the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill.
Durbin was also instrumental in forcing the release of the original Brandon Road Study, a draft plan that paved the way for the project, after the first Trump Administration stalled the report’s release.
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