Courtesy Photo | Mechanical Engineer Paul McDonald poses Feb. 24, 2026, at the Wilson Auxiliary Lock on...... read more read more
National Engineers Week Feature
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2025) – When the Wilson Lock’s main chamber went offline last year, the Tennessee River’s heartbeat depended entirely on its aging auxiliary system. To keep barge traffic moving, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews worked around the clock to maintain the "double lift" lockage. Today, that marathon continues as Mechanical Engineer Peter McDonald and his team return to the auxiliary lock for a surgical overhaul. The mission: replacing critical hydraulic cylinders and the complex web of piping, pins, and A-frame assemblies that power the lock's massive filling and emptying valves.
That’s a lot of engineer-speak, but it’s also National Engineers Week, a time that USACE and the world celebrate the people who design, build and maintain projects that make it possible to navigate the Inland Waterway System, like at Wilson Lock.
This year’s National Engineer Week theme is “Transform Your Future.” As a young boy, McDonald said he had a passion for designing and building things, solving problems, taking things apart, understanding how they functioned, and finding ways to improve efficiency. These curiosities would transform his future into an engineering pathway.
His engineering career began in the aerospace industry, where he worked for a NASA contractor performing structural loads analysis on the Space Launch System. He then transitioned into defense work supporting Department of Defense aviation armor research, development, and manufacturing working with both metallic and composite materials.
His engineering journey continued next with America’s premier engineers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Mechanical Design Section where he focused on hydropower powerplants and navigation lock structure. Today he serves in Operations as a project maintenance engineer supporting the Regional Rivers Repair Fleet (RF3) across the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers.
“My role centers on maintaining and rehabilitating critical navigation infrastructure to ensure safe and reliable river transportation,” he said.
The components at Wilson Auxiliary Lock are essential to controlling water flow during lock operations. Precision alignment, proper tolerances, and structural integrity are critical to ensuring long term reliability.
The project is a key part of the Tennessee River navigation system. When the Main Lock is dewatered for inspections or repairs the auxiliary lock must be fully operational. If both locks were unavailable at the same time commercial river traffic on the Tennessee River would effectively stop.
McDonald’s said every project must meet rigorous engineering, safety, and quality standards while maintaining the reliability of critical infrastructure.
“Our job is to ensure that when the main lock is offline the auxiliary lock is fully functional and dependable. Maintaining that operational redundancy protects commerce, regional industry, and the broader supply chain,” he added.
This past summer, McDonald served in Salamanca, Panama, with the 71st Forward Engineer Support Team - Advanced (FEST-A) where the team designed multiple potable water systems to provide clean drinking water to underserved communities.
“Experiences like that reinforce why I chose engineering. It allows me to apply technical knowledge in ways that directly improve people’s lives, McDonald said. “Engineering allowed me to turn my childhood curiosity into a career focused on practical impact.”
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on X (formerly Twitter) at http://www.x.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.
| Date Taken: | 02.25.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.25.2026 11:56 |
| Story ID: | 558864 |
| Location: | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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