Lockport Lock Reopened Following Major Repairs
Lockport Lock, Illinois Waterway River Mile 291.1, fully reopened to navigation May 19 after a temporary closure that began March 31 to complete essential infrastructure repairs and maintenance activities, the Chicago Engineer District has announced.
During the closure, the Rock Island District Floating Plant team replaced pintle socket components on the downstream miter gates along with repairing several gate cracks and installing new quoin blocks, miter blocks and strut arms. In addition, Chicago District personnel completed significant electrical upgrades to the gate machinery buildings to improve operational reliability and efficiency.
The fleet staff also installed new concrete pads for the gate pedestals for the upstream vertical service and emergency gates to rest on when in the open position. These improvements are designed to reduce strain on the gate cables and hydraulic cylinders, helping extend the service life of the lock’s mechanical systems.
The Lockport Lock and Dam, located on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Illinois, connects the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River system. It includes a 110-foot by 600-foot chamber with an average 39-foot vertical lift to manage commercial barge traffic and water levels
For more information on Lockport Lock see the project page at: https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects/Display/Article/3638555/lockport-lock/.
