Corps of Engineers awards contract for Mississippi River navigation improvements

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $12.8 million contract to Kramer North America, LLC, out of Plain, Wisconsin, March 25, to upgrade lock and dam infrastructure on the Mississippi River.

The project will include updating the traveling kevels at Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, and Lock and Dam 3, near Welch, Minnesota. The kevels are used to support tow boats navigating upstream during a lockage.

Construction is scheduled to begin November and is anticipated to be complete by the start of the 2027 navigation season. Corps of Engineers staff do not anticipate any immediate impacts to navigation as a result of the construction activity.

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 the nearly 90-year-old system open is vital to the nation’s economy. More than 10 million tons of commodities pass through Lock and Dam 10 every year.

The benefits of navigation are many. One 15-barge tow is equivalent to 216 rail cars or 1,050 semis. Shipping bulk commodities on the river reduces wear and tear on America’s roads and bridges but also does so as the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly transportation mode compared to rail or tractor trailer.

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