Helene, Milton Impacts Delay Lockport Gate Repairs

Mike Walsh with the Chicago Engineer District reported to members of the Illinois River Carriers Association October 23 that hurricanes Helene and Milton have affected the projected closure of Lockport Lock on the Illinois River.

The closure originally was planned for January 14 through March 11.

Gates for the lock are being manufactured in Tampa, Fla., Walsh said, and the hurricanes caused a delay in completing them. While the gates were originally expected to be on site by December 14, the contractor said it could now take until as late as February 14. If it is not possible to accelerate gate delivery, Walsh said, the closure could either be extended two or three weeks or moved to later in the season. That could create delays as work at Brandon Road Lock and Dam is currently scheduled for the same period, he said. Walsh asked for industry feedback on the best scheduling option.

Staff members are visiting the construction site in the next week to see if any time savings on construction and delivery could be possible, Walsh said. Stakeholders on the call asked for an update following the site visit in hopes it would clarify how long any delays would be. The group agreed to set a follow-up call for November 4.

“We do plan to make a decision as early as we can to make sure everyone is fully aware of what is going on,” Walsh said.