US Army Corps Helps $2.1 billion Dam Reconstruction

A $2.1 billion reconstruction project is underway to repair the the aging Montgomery Locks and Dam on the Ohio River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is working alongside contractors to carry out essential repairs to 11 concrete piers, which they hope will extend the dam’s lifespan by 50 years.
The teams will be working on the project for around a year and the aim is for the restoration to lay the groundwork for more major construction projects in the future.
Built nearly 90 years ago, the dam requires regular maintenance to ensure the long-term stability of its piers, with the last round of repairs completed in 2022.
Located 32 miles away from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Montgomery consists of a 600ft long commercial barge lock and an auxiliary lock for recreational use.
The restoration work is crucial in allowing the smooth passage of around 15 to 20 million tons of materials which travel through this river network annually.
Contractors will replace the existing auxiliary chamber, which is 56-feet wide and 360-feet long, with a larger lock measuring 110 by 600 feet.
This new lock is a crucial component of the multibillion-dollar Upper Ohio Navigation Project, which will also include upgrades to the Emsworth and Dashields locks and dams.
New images captured this week show workers addressing structural damage on the dam, which if left untouched would result in months of disruption to the river network.
The initiative aims to strengthen the dam’s resilience amid changing weather patterns.
Towboats are an effective way to transport commodities. Each one on the Pittsburgh network can push up to 15 barges at once, transporting the same amount of material as 70 large semi-trucks or 16 rail cars, according to U.S Army statistics.
Jim Carr, quality control manager on the repair work to the Montgomery facility’s concrete pier, told Construction Briefing: “This work will help extend the life of this dam by 50 years or more.
“We ‘sound’ the concrete by taking a hammer and tapping on it. If the concrete is good, it has a higher pitch sound. If it’s bad concrete, it has a hollow, dead sound,” Tim Rescinti, a project engineer, told Construction Briefing.
“We remove it and install new concrete that is structurally adherent to the old piers. We embed dowels into existing sound concrete, bonding them with an adhesive. The bond between the new concrete and the old, in addition to reinforcement, transfers the load between new and old.”
The project is expected to be completed by July 2025, with a pause in January and February due to expected winter weather.
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