Photo By Kelcy Hanson | Wickets being raised after repairs were completed.... read more read more
Operations and maintenance of locks and dams on the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway is a never-ending process in the USACE Rock Island District. Keeping navigation running with infrastructure built in the 1930s takes expertise and knowledge about unique designs such as wicket dams. These structures, which are made up of a series of hinged gates that fold down into the river when water levels are high, are found in only a few locations across the country. Wicket parts are one-off parts which require all parts to be refurbished or fabricated from scratch.
To keep the wicket dams at Peoria and LaGrange lock and dam on the Illinois Waterway operational, trained divers must perform wicket inspections on an annual basis. In a typical year, inspections would start in July and run through October but in recent years, maintenance crews have been diverted to support other maintenance and repair priorities which has limited their ability to devote time to the process.
Typically, a wicket gate will last around 15 years. “The routine maintenance is very important to keep the overall functioning and reliability of the wicket dam as a whole. This includes replacing entire wickets and/or replacing bent/damaged/corroded components (such as horses, breech straps, chase handles, rubber bumpers, bearings, blocks, and grout),” said Cam Klein, Illinois Waterway Maintenance Section Chief.
Maintenance recently conducted on the wicket gates at Peoria and LaGrange locks and dams was desperately needed, as wickets were beginning to deteriorate and potentially become a hazard. Ten wickets in the LaGrange Dam were completely replaced and many others, between the two locations, were repaired. Moving forward, the wickets will be made from composite materials that will have a higher longevity.
Lock and Dam Repairer and Diver, James Punkiewicz ‘Punky’ explains the intricate repair process, “The maintenance crew first sets needles in between each of the wickets that are being inspected. The divers will then go underwater and check out the conditions of the wickets before they are pulled out of the water. The divers will also take apart the block, which connects to the wickets. The divers will do all of this work on the lower side of the river, which is safer for the diver.”
During the repairs, a wet bulkhead is placed into the water to minimize flow and decrease pressure on the wickets being pulled out of the water. The bulkhead is large enough to block flow on three wickets at a time, which is about all the crew can work on in one day’s time. The previous inspections, performed by the divers, informs the maintenance crew so they already know which wickets need to be replaced and which wickets need repairs.
To fully replace a wicket, a floating crane must be used to pull the gate from the river. Then the gate is placed on a barge and the new gate can be lifted into place by the crane and installed by the divers. The Illinois Waterway Maintenance Crew immediately started working on the wickets so all repairs could be done in time to place the wickets back in the water.
Bryan Smith, Derrick Boat Operator and Dive Supervisor, was one of the primary divers who performed worked at the LaGrange Dam. Once a wicket gate was lowered into the water, it was up to him to begin securing it to the hinged block. The murky waters of the Illinois Waterway make it hard for the divers to see what they’re doing so most of the work is done by feel.
“I just got to close my eyes, I’ve seen pictures before and I’ve seen the wickets dewatered,” said Smith. “I use my mind’s eye and take it one step at a time while I’m under water.”
According to Cam Klein, Illinois Waterway Maintenance Section Chief, “the maintenance in Peoria and LaGrange ran very smoothly and as expected.
Over the past few years, there have been a lot of new faces on the maintenance crew and dive team. Thanks to the more seasoned employees, everybody is taking the time to ensure the process is done correctly and safely while teaching the new crew about a process that has been done for over 80 years.”
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2022 12:10 |
| Story ID: | 431550 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wickets- Urgency for Repairs, by Kelcy Hanson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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