In 1939, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ LaGrange Lock and Dam was completed on the Illinois River near Beardsville, just north of where the Illinois meets the Mississippi. It’s a key shipping point for commodities flowing to all points south on the Big Muddy.
After 81 years of service with only minor repairs in 1986 and 1988, the 600-ft-long lock and dam was past due for a refresh when AECOM Shimmick began the Corps’ $117-million rehabilitation last year.