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Rare sight: See inside an empty Mississippi River lock and dam as it’s cleared for repairs
A construction barge sits on the floor of the de-watered lock chamber at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn., on Wednesday. The barge transported all of the heavy equipment used to carry out repairs inside the lock.
Work is set to continue for several more weeks on a winter-long project to inspect, repair and renovate Lock and Dam 2 along the Mississippi River at Hastings.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District invited members of the media to tour the empty lock chamber, dewatered to allow for the $3.5 million renovation project. It’s a sight only visible about once every 15 to 20 years, and in this case, the first time since 2007.
Construction on the lock at Lock and Dam No. 2 is scheduled to be completed by March 5.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
The rest of the time, the lock chamber is filled with water to facilitate barge traffic during the river’s navigation season.
Lock and Dam 2 is one of 13 locks and dams maintained by the Corps’ St. Paul District between Minneapolis and Guttenberg, Iowa. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager Billy Thomson said that in 2023, barges shipped an estimated six million tons of cargo through the locks.
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The lock closed for the season on Dec. 4, with all the maintenance work scheduled to be completed by the time the river opens for navigation in early March.
Lockmaster Steve Heidbrider said the warmer-than-average winter has been great for construction.
“It's easier to work when it's 30 degrees than when it's 30 below,” Heidbrider said.
The corps said the work being done includes “inspecting and repairing concrete walls, miter gates, bubbler system and renovating the weepholes.” A weephole is a hole in the bottom of the lock chamber that helps relieve the water pressure.
The lock currently in service at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. opened in 1948, pictured here on Wednesday.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Workers adjust one of the miter gates on the upstream end of the lock chamber at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Construction workers secure a section of PERI formwork in the lock chamber at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday. The forms keep fresh concrete in place as teams repair the walls of the lock. To the right of the cranes is a section of demolished wall waiting to be repaired.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Metal anchors await fresh concrete during repairs at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday. Construction crews demolish portions of the old wall that are in need of repair and new metal bolts are installed to provide structure when new concrete is poured. The black tarp helps modulate temperature fluctuations during cold snaps.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
A worker adjusts a hydraulic tensioning pump as he stands on the upstream miter gate at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Workers thread a hydraulic ram onto the end of a tensioning rod on one of the miter gates at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday. Using hydraulic pressure to make minor adjustments, workers balance the tension on the three sets of x-shaped diagonals to keep the gates plumb with the foundation of the lock.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Master tender Branden Johnson oversees army fellow Thomas Reinhardt as he inspects the chamber tunnel at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
Channel 9 reporter Hannah Flood and cameraman Casey Hooker film a spot in the empty lock chamber at Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday. The white line above Flood marks the average water depth when the lock is in operation. The openings in the concrete at the base of the wall feed into the chamber tunnel, which is used to transfer water when the lock is operating.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
A fisherman casts downstream of Lock and Dam No. 2 near Hastings, Minn. on Wednesday.
