Contractors sought to complete Tennessee River lock replacement

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking additional contractors to complete replacement of a navigation lock on the Tennessee River just north of Chattanooga.

Plans and specifications were issued late last month for construction of downstream approach walls, decommissioning the existing lock and site restoration. A formal solicitation for an Approach Wall and Decommissioning (AWD) Contract is expected at the end of the week, Army Capt. Joseph Cotton told Government Market News.

 “Contractors are meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Authority at Chickamauga Lock next week for a site walk to give them a better understanding of the scope of work for this contract,” said Cotton, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District’s project manager for the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project. “We expect to award this contract in the fall of this year.”

Funded through a cost-share between the federal government and the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, the new lock will address structural issues with the existing lock caused by a reaction between the alkali in the cement and the aggregate. 

“Even with significant maintenance efforts, this expansion threatens the structural integrity of the existing lock and limits its serviceable life,” the Corps of Engineers said. 

The $954 million Chickamauga Lock Project has included design and construction of a 110-foot by 600-foot lock that will replace the original, which was built in 1940. The new lock will be located downstream of the dam and is projected to reduce transit times by 80%. 

Currently two prime contractors are working on the lock chamber and the upstream approach walls, and the miter gates are expected to be brought on site for assembly in the fall of this year, Cotton said.

The AWD contract will bring the new lock to a fully operational status and allow the Corps of Engineers to decommission the existing lock to mitigate future impacts of alkali aggregate reaction in that portion of the dam, he said.

Correction: This story has been corrected to say plans and specifications were issued late last month, and a formal solicitation is expected at the end of this week.