News Release
| Release Number: | 03-054 |
| Dated: | 5/2/2003 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.-The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it has awarded a $1.45 million contract to repair the navigation lock at John Day Dam on the Columbia River.
The contract, awarded to Knight Construction and Supply Inc. of Deer Park, Wash., involves repairing, repainting and reinstalling the upstream gate. The gate was damaged in November 2002 when cables connecting the gate to the counterweights failed.
The Corps has continued operating the lock with the aid of a floating bulkhead. The bulkhead is moved into position for each lockage to enable water to empty and fill the lock chamber. Use of the bulkhead increases the time it takes to perform lockages.
Work will begin in May and the repaired gate will be reinstalled by mid-July. The gate was previously removed from the navigation lock. During the reinstallation, the lock will be closed to river traffic for two days.
Other bidders included: Young Mechanical Services, of Portland, Ore.; DIX Corporation, of Spokane, Wash.; Advanced American Diving Service Inc., of Oregon City, Ore.; and R.H. Grover Inc., of Missoula, Mont.
The John Day navigation lock is part of an eight-lock system that facilitates commercial and recreational river traffic along the 465-mile Columbia-Snake Inland Waterway between the Pacific Ocean and Lewiston, Idaho.
Each year, about 10 million tons of commodities and consumer goods pass through the John Day lock.