A team of design engineers, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has been nominated for the Hammer Award, Vice President Al Gore’s program for re-inventing government.

Kentucky Lock is located at Mile 22 on the Tennessee River. The 110’ x 600’ lock has experienced long delays over the past years as a result of an inadequate lock chamber size. A 1992 Feasibility Report recommended a new 110’ x 1200’ lock adjacent to the existing lock. The original cost was estimated to be $540 Million.

In 1994 the Ohio River Division office initiated a three-phase cost-reduction plan for navigation projects aimed at reducing the total cost of projects in the Ohio River Basin. At that time the Kentucky Lock Team was in the process of collecting data on the existing lock and starting preliminary site planning on the new lock. In order to meet the objectives of the Division’s cost reduction plan, the team quickly changed gears and began looking for possible savings which could be realized by revising the traditional lock designs used in the Feasibility Report.

Working together in a partnership with the A-E joint venture of Harza and Parsons Brinckerhoff and the navigation industry, the team began a six-month process of brainstorming and innovative design. In the fall of 1994 the team identified $11 million in the 1st phase of innovative design which resulted from lowering of the contingency for foundation preparation. This reduction was a direct result of a well-thought-out exploration program that gave designers a better understanding of the foundation conditions.

After the 1st phase work was complete, the team began breaking the feasibility designs apart in an effort to find other areas where potential savings existed. The team used a systematic approach to prioritize and categorize the savings areas. Large, complex areas were studied by several team members from different sections or branches, while some small, less complex areas were handled by one individual. When necessary, the navigation industry was consulted for input on the effect of any proposed changes. Several open briefings were also conducted for the navigation industry to update them on design changes, and answer any questions they might have. The final redesign included relocating the footprint of the lock to reduce required excavation, building in the wet guidewalls, and major redesigns of some of the lock’s larger components. The Kentucky Lock Team’s 2nd phase effort resulted in an additional savings of $81 million.

The 3rd phase of innovative design looked at more complex, less-proven design changes. This phase required a more in-depth design effort and some model testing to prove the design changes would work. Some of the major changes resulting from this effort included a "thru sill" intake system which has not been used on a modern lock, roller compacted concrete in the lock chamber walls and guidewalls, and a discharge system which greatly reduced the required amount of costly temporary cofferdam. The total savings from this phase are estimated to be $23 million.