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7/27/2019 A closer look at the Olmsted dam project
1/1
24
24
57
57
60Paducah
OhioRiverOlmsted
Wickliffe
Mound City
Cairo
Metropolis
Smithland
Joppa
127
121
145
3
45
45
60
Mississip
piRi
ver
MississippiRiver
Tenn
esseeR
iver
5 miles
N MAP
AREA
KENTUCKY
Louisville
Lock andDam 52
Lock andDam 53
OLMSTEDLOCKS AND
DAMPROJECT
BUILDING A NEW DAM
ON THE OHIO RIVER
BIGJOBONE
The Olmsted Dam on the western end of the Ohio River is beingbuilt as precast pieces on land that are then moved to the river for
completion in one of the largest construction projects under wayin the United States.
The Army Corps of Engineers plan is to build its first dam on amajor river without first building temporary coffer dams to createdry areas on the riverbed for construction workers. Instead, thecorps and its contractors are manufacturing 3,500-ton to 5,000-ton concrete shells on land, then lifting, moving and loweringthem in place, connecting them together like pieces of Lego toys.
Cradle
Shell
Shell
MAKING A SHELL, THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE PROJECTUsing concrete mixed at the site, reinforcement rods and supporting structures,workers build a series of concrete shells on land. Each will become a piece ofthe dam. The biggest shells are 125 feet by 102 feet and about 30 feet high.
TRAVEL SPEED: Loaded, the gantry crane travels at10 feet per minute.
LIFTING CAPACITY: 5,100 tons
Super gantry crane facts and figures
Catamaran barge facts and figures
COST: $9.5 million (for crane alone, does notinclude assembly, foundations or lifting equipment).
Catamaran barge
Super
gantrycrane
CATAMARAN BARGE
PLACING A SHELLBefore placing the shell, the bottom of the river is graded andcovered with stone, and foundation piles are driven into theriver bottom. Using the most precise global positioningequipment, the shells are lowered into the water in sequence,either on top of each other or next to each other, with amargin of error of less than one inch.
MOVING A SHELL
Supports
Supports
Supports
Frontview
Frontview
Once a shell is complete, a steellifting frame is attached. A specialcrane built just for the Olmstedproject rides on rails to move the shellto the top of a skidway, just abovethe Ohio River.
Concrete shell
Supergantrycrane
Lifting frame
Lifting frame
Cradle
Sideview
Skidway
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
Ohio River Supports
LOCKS
DAM
DAMLOCKS
Catamaran
barge
Super
gantry
crane
Skid
way
Once each shell is inplace, its void isfilled with concrete,displacing water.
The shell is placed on a wedge-shaped steel cradlewith wheels and another piece of equipmentslowly lowers the shell down the riverbank, wherethe catamaran barge waits to pick it up.
Gates and wickets will be used to control the water levels. Heres how they work:
CONTROLLING THE FLOW
When the river is low When the river is high
Cradle
140 ft.
160 ft.100 ft.
Sixty four, 36diameter steelwheels areused to movethe cranes
N
Aerial photo by Google Earth
STEVE REED/THE COURIER-JOURNALSOURCE: Army Corps of Engineeers
COST: $19 million (barge alone, does
not include assembly or lifting equipment.)
Shell lifters
Shell lifters
Shell lifters
Shell lifters
Shell lifters
Shell lifters
Shell lifters
ShellsSizecomparison
PROPULSION:Two 4,500-horsepowerpush boats
LIFTING CAPACITY: 4,500 tons
SPEED: Will not exceed 6 feetper second.
The wickets are lowered, allowing barges to navigateover the dam and avoid the locks.
Wickets are raised and gates closed, creating a pool forbarge transport and safe passage through the locks.
Gates Locks Locks
Navigable passareaWickets
Wickets
THE TRIP TO THE PLACEMENT SITEEquipment on the barge lifts the shell off the cradle andholds the shell in place, while towboats push the bargeout to the dam site.
6-foot tall man
6-foottall man
As more water isblocked by the
wickets of t
he damin this area of the
river, the water levelrises, allowingvessels to pass
throughthe locks.
As more water isblocked by the
wickets o
f the damin this area of the
river, the water levelrises, allowingvessels to pass
throughthe locks.
Navigabledamsection
Gateddam
section
Navigabledamsection
Gateddam
section
To see videos of the Olmsted Dam Project go to:courier-journal.com/olmsteddam
ONLINE
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