![]() ![]() It was repeatedly re-examined, even as late as 2012 – eight years after initial project funding.Ĭontracts were also a challenge. But, even the in-the-wet decision didn’t deliver much certainty. ‘In-the-wet’ was chosen in 1997, and a new construction estimate was arrived at: six years. The 1990s were given over to technical analytical work regarding a construction method – evaluating the more traditional “in-the-dry” method, using cofferdams which block the flow of water around a site, versus a newer, but less familiar “in-the-wet” method, more difficult but promising more flexibility and a lower final cost. An appropriation for construction was first made in 1990 but the Corps did not award money for a construction project until 2004 – 14 years later. To summarize (based on a 2017 GAO “Report to Congressional Committees”), Olmsted was first authorized within the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1988 at a cost of $775 million, with construction estimated to take seven years. Most people whose business is aligned with waterways issues are only too familiar with Olmsted’s endless challenges. Olmsted isn’t just about critical transportation – its operations are integral to the entire Midwest economy. The tonnage passing through this section, over 90 million tons annually, exceeds every other section of America’s inland navigation system. Barge traffic moving between the Mississippi River system and the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers must pass through this stretch of the Ohio. To say that the 2,596-foot Olmsted dam is situated on a vital section of the Nation’s inland waterways would not give full weight to the importance of this critical infrastructure. Just about everyone involved with Olmsted, with stakeholders spanning four decades across the breadth of the USACE to members of Congress and commercial maritime operators, all likely welcome this news with the same response: It’s about time. On the Ohio River at Olmsted, IL, about 10 miles north of Cairo, IL, where the mighty Ohio flows into the mighty Mississippi, this crucial piece of American infrastructure is finally almost in place. Before that happens, Olmsted’s performance will be tested and confirmed. 52 and 53, which Olmsted is replacing – will be dismantled by December 2020. The very old (1929) upstream locks and dams – Nos. After more than 30 years, the ribbon cutting to officially open the Olmsted Locks and Dam will take place on August 29. ![]() ![]() Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) wants Olmsted operational by October. That’s because, after more than 30 years of frustratingly slow progress, cost overruns and more than a few mistakes, Olmsted is finally poised for success. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” He could have been talking about Olmsted. The Army Corps, which manages and operates the facility, halted locking of vessels through its two lock chambers because the river’s water level had risen too high following recent rains, shippers said.In 1921, Thomas Edison told Forbes magazine, “I have not failed. That queue is expected to build as more vessels arrive during the temporary closure. inland waterways system would remain closed, they said.Ī queue of 22 towboats hauling 209 barges loaded with commodities such as coal, grain, fertilizer and steel were waiting to pass through the area on Tuesday afternoon, according to U.S. Related Book: Tugboats Illustrated: History, Technology, Seamanship by Paul Farrell It was at least the third closure of that stretch of the river in the past two months and it was not yet known how long the busiest section of the U.S. By Karl Plume (Reuters) – The lower Ohio River was closed to navigation on Tuesday at locks and dam 52 in Paducah, Kentucky, due to rising water on the key commodity shipping waterway, shipping industry sources said. ![]()
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