Duplicate Locks for Illinois Waterway

Results of a study by the Corps of Engineers indicating the advisability of providing duplicate locks along the Illinois Waterway are presented. The waterway provides the only water connection between the Mississippi River-Ohio River navigation system and the Great Lakes. It is completely canalized, i. e., it consists of a series of pools created by a system of locks and dams. An analysis of future electric power requirements and coal consumption, trends in population and gross national product, and other information indicated that prospective commerce on the waterway below Lockport will reach 32,700,000 tons by the year 1970 and 55,000,000 tons by 2020. Statistics on lock operation, annual commerce through each lock and on the waterway were used in determining capacities of the existing single locks. Comparison of the waterway capacity as limited by the existing single locks with the estimated prospective commerce indicated that economical transportation of waterborne commerce will not be possible without provision of an additional lock at each existing lock site. Times of construction of the various additional locks were determined when the capacity of each existing lock would be reached.