MEL PRICE LOCK AND DAM AUXILIARY MITER GATE REPAIRS

Alton, IL

Massman’s St. Louis, MO crew has performed multiple projects at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Alton, IL for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These projects have included the removal and re-installation of the auxiliary chamber upstream miter gates, tensioning of wire ropes at one of the dam’s tainter gates, as well as replacement of hydraulic valve cylinders which facilitate raising and lowering the lock chambers.

To support necessary repairs to the miter gates, Massman utilized the largest crane in our fleet, the Manitowoc 4600 ringer, to remove and reinstall the auxiliary chamber upstream miter gates. These gates are about 65 feet wide and over 60 feet tall, weighing in at just under 500,000 lbs. Once the gates were removed, they were laid down on a Corps of Engineer’s barge for USACE personnel to perform repairs to the steel skin plates and replace many of the timber bumpers on the gates. Massman stood the gates back up and re-installed them in the auxiliary chamber after the repairs were complete. This project also included setting multiple sets of bulkheads to support dewatering activities in the auxiliary chamber while the miter gates were removed.