Melvin Price Locks and Dam replaced Lock and Dam 26, which was demolished in 1990. Almost from the beginning, Lock and Dam 26 was plagued with structural deficiencies. Scour holes developed below the dam. This was of particular concern because some of the holes were deeper than the wooden pilings supporting the dam. The scouring of the riverbed led to the disintegration of the concrete and a loss of foundation material, which eventually resulted in excessive deflections and settlement of the lock walls and dam piers.

The construction of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam constituted the first replacement of an original installation of the 9-Foot Channel Project. The new structure is located two miles downstream of the razed Lock and Dam 26, but the significance of the new installation is not limited to its colossal size. Throughout its design and construction, the Corps engaged in an extensive program of computer-assisted design, testing and evaluation to create a structure that represents the state of the art in river navigation control works.

Vital Statistics

Tonnage Statistics