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Illinois River LaGrange Lock tops rehab list

Shipping stakeholders say major upkeep is needed for the U.S. to maintain competitiveness on the world market.  One of the aging locks on the system, LaGrange Lock and Dam near Versailles, on the Illinois River still does what it’s supposed to do, but the crumbling facility needs maintenance to avoid a major breakdown.

DSCN5015“If this lock should have a catastrophic failure you’re going to shut down the entire Illinois River system, which ships annually about 26 million to 28 million tons per year, about 500,000 tons per week,” said Marty Hettel, who chairs the Inland Waterway User Board.

With the recent opening of the Panama Canal expansion, a much greater volume of freight can pass through that shipping channel.  Illinois Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti says getting commodities from Midwest farms to the gulf is more important than ever.

DSCN4945“We need to stay, as Illinoisans, competitive to be able to address this super cargo,” said Sanguinetti, during a visit to the LaGrange Lock and Dam this week, “and we can only do that by making sure that our waterways are viable.”

The LaGrange Lock tops the priority list for rehabilitation, which if the spending is authorized, could begin in the next couple of years.  The facility was put into service in the 1930s.

AUDIO: Illinois Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti and Illinois Corn CEO Rod Weinzierl (2 min. MP3)


AUDIO: Marty Hettel (3 min. MP3)

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