The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $769.9 million contract to a Trumbull Corp. joint venture. and Brayman Construction Corp. to build a new lock chamber at Montgomery Locks and Dam on the Ohio River in Monaca, Pa.
The two Pittsburgh-based contractors beat out another bidder, records show. Corps officials anticipate awarding additional items in addition to the base contract later in the project.
The project involves removing a 56-foot-by-360-foot auxiliary lock chamber and building a new 110-foot-by-600-foot primary lock chamber, according to the corps’ Pittsburgh district, which is leading the work. The team is expected to use wet construction initially for portions of the lock wall monoliths, according to Kirk McWilliams, area engineer for the corps’ construction division. Crews will then install a coffer and dewater the work area, and the rest of the monoliths will be dry-built.
Deconstruction of the auxiliary lock chamber will begin in the spring. The works are expected to be completed in 2030.
Vessels will be able to continue using the current 110-by-600-foot primary lock chamber during construction.
The plans call for new locks at three upper Ohio River dams. Courtesy of the US Army Corps of EngineersThe locks and Montgomery Dam were originally built between 1932 and 1936. 12 million tons of goods are transported through the locks by barge each year, according to the Corps.
The work is part of a larger Corps initiative called the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, which involves building new primary lock chambers at three aging dams along the Ohio River in Pennsylvania. The others are the dams of Emsworth and Dashields.
All three were originally built in the 1920s and 1930s and rehabilitated in the 1980s and 1990s to extend their useful lives by 25 years. They are back at the end of their useful life, and Corps officials say they need larger lock chambers to accommodate modern trailers. In January, officials estimated the cost of the project at the three dams at a combined $2.1 billion.
“This project is vital to ensuring safe and reliable navigation on the upper Ohio River,” Col. Nicholas Melin, commander of the Pittsburgh District, said in a statement.
The Jobs and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2021 included more than $1 billion for the Upper Ohio Navigation Project.
