Photo By George Stringham | Maintenance and repair crew from Rock Island District review the recently removed...... read more read more
The St. Paul District replaced the nearly 80-year-old miter gates at Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minnesota, last July, as part of a larger project to replace the miter gates at Lock and Dams 2-10 over the next several years.
Lock and Dam 2’s miter gates are original from the 1940s. The new upstream gates are 27-feet tall and weigh 256,000 pounds, while the downstream gates are 30-feet tall and weigh 266,000 pounds. Over time, the gates have been damaged and distressed, which has led to serviceability and safety issues. The new gates will increase navigational longevity and operational readiness in support of the economically significant navigation infrastructure.
The three-week process to physically replace the gates is the culmination of more than 5 years of effort in engineering design, manufacturing, transportation and installation.
“Countless hours went into this Herculean effort,” said Nick Castellane, project manager. “There were a lot of moving pieces, a lot of details, to include logistics, that had to be scrutinized and resolved.”
Due to new criteria in engineering, safety requirements and industry standards, the newly designed gates are more than 50% heavier than the original gates. The increase in weight required newly upgraded anchorages, which serve to provide support of the new gates while also allowing them to pivot.
The project delivery team included multiple structural, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineers, in addition to operations and lock personnel. The experience and bulk of the install is credited to the maintenance and repair crews from both the St. Paul and Rock Island Districts. Most will remain on the team as the district continues with the preparations and manufacturing of new gates for the other locks.
Castellane added that the learning curve for Lock and Dam 2 was steep, as it was the first of several more miter gate replacements over the next few years. “Being able to work side-by-side with Rock Island’s crew was invaluable,” Castellane said. “This cross-district training experience is something we’ll be able to carry forward as we repeat this process for the rest of our locks over the next few years.”
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.29.2021 12:37 |
| Story ID: | 412098 |
| Location: | HASTINGS, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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