Mile marker 6.2 on the Ohio River is getting some much-needed attention as members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers get an up-close look at the dewatered main chamber's condition at Emsworth Lock and Dam, located on the Ohio River near Ben Avon, PA.
"Dewatering the chamber is just the first step to giving the chamber a thorough look," said John Dilla, chief Locks and Dams Branch Pittsburgh District.
As scheduled repairs and inspections are underway, the district opened the facility's gates to local leaders, stakeholders, and media to view this rare sight, Oct. 14.
Corps employees conducted three tours throughout the day with operations experts discussing project details, answering questions. Each tour concluded with a four-story climb down, allowing visitors to stand on the Ohio riverbed.
The emptied chamber is a vast 600-feet long by-110-feet wide and roughly 45-feet deep. Thirteen struts are in place overhead between the chamber walls as a safety measure to maintain the pressure generally placed on the river's lock walls. Despite the fascinating views found in the nearly 100-year-old dewatered chamber, the dewatering's primary purpose serves as a significant action to complete this project.
"Part of the dewatering is to address the lower miter gate anchorages which were identified being deficient and in need of complete replacement, said Dilla. "The second part of it is to test the new closure system we've installed over the past two years to make sure it is structurally sound and performs the way it was designed and built."
Dilla explained the upper-miter gates were replaced in 2016. The corps' inspection team discovered issues with the gate anchorages at multiple lock locations, promoting the need for replacements.
"This is the first time we set bulkheads in the primary chamber and were able to test them in the new bulkhead dewatering systems," said Beth Schneller, Technical Support Branch Chief.
"We had a minor issue getting one bulkhead to sit properly on the new underwater sill, but no other problems have been encountered since the dewatering started," said Schneller. "Additionally, the dewatering allows our engineers to perform a more detailed inspection and use those findings for the upper Ohio project."
A fleet of roughly 50 skilled personnel with a wide range of expertise and trades ranging from welders, divers, electricians, machinists, crane operators, and laborers work on-site, 24/7. The dewatering allows this team to remove the lower miter gates and work on the embedded anchorage.
Greg Turko, project engineer Pittsburgh District, explains further, "When the anchorage is put back together, it's very important nothing can move. Our machinists measure everything. We're talking their measurements are down to one-thousandth of an inch."
Inland navigation is a vital 24-hour operation for both commercial and recreational use. The Emsworth facility is one of six major river facilities on the Ohio River in the Pittsburgh District. It regulates the 24-mile pool on the three rivers around the city of Pittsburgh, ensuring waterways are viable for year-round transportation, even during this closure.
"One of the best features of this work is the planning and coordination with local industry ahead of time," said Dilla. "So, what we see is an increase of commodity movement directly before and directly after the closure."
The dewatering began, Oct. 1 and continues to stay on track. It is expected to last 25 days of the total 64-day phase project.
Stay up to date with this project and more news from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District at www.lrp.usace.army.mil/.
| Date Taken: | 10.27.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.27.2020 08:08 |
| Story ID: | 381804 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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