Repairs Needed For Lock, Lockport Moves Forward With Engineering

LOCKPORT, IL — Lockport is moving forward with phase 1 on the stabilization of I&M Canal Lock 1, after it approved a $26,550 professional services agreement for engineering design at its Wednesday city council meeting. The agreement with HR Green includes conceptual design engineering for the lock, which is in need of repair.

According to city documents, the lock is located north of Division Street and east of Canal Street. The I&M Canal flows from north to south through the structure, which consists of an upper water level, lock gates, lock chamber and lower water level.

Council documents state a field observation was done on the lock in August 2019 with a follow-up in June 2020 after concerns of "structural stability, growing vegetation and general maintenance." After the results of the observations, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources was contacted, as the lock is under their jurisdiction.

The lock was not in the IDNR project list, and "they are hesitating to fund it," council documents state. The city has decided to move forward with the repair, and the IDNR and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have said they will work with Lockport in a possible cost-sharing venture, council documents state.

In the report from HR Green, the company found that there were several areas of the lock starting to deteriorate. The lock is a federally protected historic structure, so repairs will require review from the Illinois State Historic Protection Office and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The report from HR Green states the lock was one of the first locks built on the I&M Canal in the mid-1800s, and is made of local limestone.