Corps of Engineers awards $22.5 million for Lock and Dam 5 gate maintenance

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $22.5 million contract to Abhe & Svoboda, Inc., of Jordan, Minnesota, on Sept. 18, for gate maintenance on Lock and Dam 5 located near Minnesota City, Minnesota, on the Mississippi River.

The project focuses primarily on sandblasting, painting, rehabilitation, and other maintenance of the dam roller gates and service bridge. This maintenance work ensures reliable operation of the roller gates and service bridge for future years.

The repair work is on components of the dam structure only and will not impact navigation. Construction completion for this work at Lock and Dam 5 is expected in November 2028.

This project is funded under the authority of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1930. Design funding for this major maintenance effort was specifically provided by the fiscal year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

The St. Paul District navigation program provides a safe, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy. Nearly 12 million tons of commodities passed through Lock and Dam 10 in 2022. This included nearly 8 million tons of farm products such as corn and soybeans. The industries making these shipments saved approximately $430 million by using the inland waterways instead of overland shipping methods.

-30-