Illinois Waterway Will Close This Summer

Not sure if this info has already been posted but here is the link, hope it works, if it is inappropriate or out of place, please move or delete .

https://cruisingodyssey.com/2023/03/20/locks-on-illinois-waterway-will-close-this-summer/

That is going to put a monkey wrench in a lot of Loopers plans…

Yes. Knew of these lock closures. Won't be in a hurry. Hopefully traffic will thin a bit towards the end of October. Will be a chilly river segment.

Funny thing is, I am running NORTH on the Illinois and have to get through the locks before they close on June 1...

I guess the earlier Ya hear about the closing, the sooner you can make a Plan B ...lol

Comodave said:

That is going to put a monkey wrench in a lot of Loopers plans…

Click to expand...

Loopers and the AGLCA have been aware of the closure dates for well over a year now. The fact is that the locks will open by 9/30. Many Lake Michigan boaters try to be off the lake by Labor Day but others assert that, while weather keeps boaters in port for a few more days in September than during the earlier summer months, being on the lake after Labor Day is not something to be feared. It just takes good weather planning, as it does for the earlier months. When we did the Loop we stayed in Charlevois for six days waiting for the winds to lay down.

The bottom line is, Loopers, as a group, will get together and plan group passages as they did last year when two other locks on the Illinois were closed for repairs at an inopportune time.