Illinois governor OKs 1st steps on blocking Asian carp

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The governor of Illinois is authorizing steps toward the installation of technologies in a Chicago-area waterway to prevent Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan.

Democrat J.B. Pritzker told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers he's willing to move ahead with preconstruction, engineering and design work for the project at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam on the Des Plaines River near Joliet, Illinois.

The location is considered a crucial choke point where the invasive carp could be prevented from migrating upstream toward the lake.

Illinois officials previously have agreed to work with the Army Corps and other Great Lakes states on the project while raising concerns about its cost and potential harm to commercial shipping.

Pritzker said in a letter to the Corps Friday that he wants discussions about reducing the project's price tag, estimated at $778 million.