Sen. McGuire Trying To Keep County Economy Afloat

by Erin Gallagher

State Senator Pat McGuire (D-Crest Hill) told a senate hearing the Will County locks need upgrading in order to keep the economy flowing.

“The Lockport Lock & Dam and Brandon Road Lock & Dam are key parts of our area’s transportation network,” said McGuire, a member of the Senate Transportation Committee. “Keeping all the locks and dams on the Illinois Waterway and the Illinois portion of the Mississippi River in top shape enables materials and products to flow in and out of Will County. That means jobs.”

Agriculture, the state’s leading industry, relies heavily on the waterways. McGuire told the hearing attendees that there is an increasing amount of agriculture products being exported to Asia. Much of Will County’s corn and soybeans are sold overseas.

“We would definitely need to get these updated as quickly as possible,” Will County Farm Bureau Director Mark Schneidewind said. ”If would continue to put this off and we end up getting one of these (two locks) shut down, that would halt industry all together.”

Locks and dams in Illinois are over 80 years old with a design life of only 50 years, according to an Illinois Senate press release.

“Upgrades are needed in order to continue transport of the 116 million tons of commodities that are shipped annually on the 1,118 miles of Illinois’ inland waterways,” the release said.