There’s much to be done on inland waterways, especially on those that run through Illinois. Some help is on the way though, but it will not come without some hardship. Six locks will be closed on the Illinois Waterway from LaGrange Lock and Dam near Versailles all the way up to Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the west suburbs of Chicago. Most of the work will be done in 2020 and will add some life to the infrastructure says Tom Heinold with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District.

 

 

Heinold refers to LaGrange as the “posterchild” for decaying infrastructure. It’s defined as the nation’s number one priority for lock rehabilitation on the nation’s inland navigation system. 

 

Illinois Farm Bureau staff will be working with other commodity shippers and with the grain marketing industry to inform farmers about the pending disruptions and their potential impacts on the marketing of Illinois’ 2019 and 2020 crops.