Chicago Construction News staff writer
Construction is set to resume on the $1.15 billion Brandon Road Interbasin Project near Joliet, Illinois, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lifted a stop-work order that had halted the project since late July.
The federal-local infrastructure project is designed to prevent invasive carp from moving farther north through the Mississippi River Basin and reaching the Great Lakes.
The Army Corps stopped work at the end of July while the project underwent an administrative review, but Illinois officials said they received no explanation for the halt for more than a month.
The stop-work order was lifted this week following renewed pressure from officials in Illinois, Michigan and Congress.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Sept. 2 demanding that construction immediately resume. Pritzker also directed the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to renew its request for an emergency meeting of the project’s Senior Executive Board.
“The Great Lakes should not become collateral damage in political games,” Pritzker wrote. “The Brandon Road Project is critical infrastructure designed to stop the spread of invasive carp, and the people of Illinois deserve answers as to why Donald Trump is putting partisanship ahead of protecting one of America’s greatest natural resources.”
The push to restart construction came as IDNR reported finding several hundred juvenile silver carp approximately 80 miles from Lake Michigan and about 15 miles from the Brandon Road barrier site.
It was the first time invasive carp of that size had been detected that far upstream since monitoring began in 2010, according to the state.
The Brandon Road project is being developed in the Des Plaines River near Joliet and is intended to create a series of technological barriers and deterrents to prevent invasive carp from advancing toward the Chicago Area Waterway System and Lake Michigan while maintaining commercial navigation.
Planned infrastructure includes an electric dispersal barrier, acoustic deterrent technology, an air-bubble curtain and a flushing lock. The combination is intended to provide multiple layers of protection against invasive carp.
The project is a federal-local partnership with an estimated cost of $1.15 billion. It has received support from the Trump administration, including a 2025 presidential memorandum directing federal agencies to expedite support and infrastructure for the project.
U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, also called for the project to move forward. Joyce said the Great Lakes Task Force co-chairs sent letters to the Office of Management and Budget and the Army Corps urging the stop-work order to be lifted. He also said he spoke directly with OMB Director Russell Vought about the project.
“The Great Lakes are one of our region’s greatest assets, and we have a responsibility to protect them,” Joyce said. “That means taking the threat of invasive carp seriously and making sure the Brandon Road Interbasin Project moves forward.”
Joyce said he would continue working with Congress and the administration to find a path forward for the project.
“Addressing the threat of invasive carp is about more than one project,” he said. “It is about preserving a resource that defines our region and supports millions of people. We have an opportunity to get this right, and we should seize it.”
Illinois has been involved in advancing the Brandon Road project for several years. In 2019, Pritzker authorized the state to begin initial engineering work. Five years later, Illinois reached an agreement with Michigan and the Army Corps to advance the estimated $1.15 billion project.
As a project sponsor, Illinois’ commitment helped secure the project’s first construction-increment award in November 2024. In September 2025, the state acquired two critical upland parcels needed to support full project construction.
The project is intended to protect the Great Lakes from an invasive species that could have significant environmental and economic consequences. The Great Lakes provide drinking water to tens of millions of Americans and support economies tied to commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, shipping, manufacturing and agriculture.
The discovery of juvenile silver carp farther upstream has increased the urgency surrounding the construction effort, particularly because the fish were found relatively close to the planned Brandon Road barrier site.
With the stop-work order lifted, construction can resume on the infrastructure intended to provide a final defense against invasive carp reaching Lake Michigan.
