A.       PROJECT DESCRIPTION                                                 

           Kentucky Lock is located in western Kentucky at Mile 22.4 of the Tennessee River.  A feasibility report completed in 1992 recommended a new 110' x 1200' lock adjacent and landward of the existing 110' x 600' lock.  The project was authorized for construction in WRDA 96 and construction commenced in July 1998.  Based on an expected funding level of $25.2M (Appropriated $30M minus Savings & Slippage), our FY 01 spending plan is provided below: 

                        $  4.5M                        In-house design and management

                        $  1.2M                        Other Corps

                        $  0.5M                        TVA in-house

                        $  7.5M                        A/E Contract Design

                        $11.5M                        Construction and Real Estate Acquisition.                       

B.        GENERAL 

Significant activities, issues raised, and decisions made during the month on the project include : 

·        FY 02 Funding Outlook – The status of KY Lock’s fiscal year ’02 funding is shown below: 

Stated Capability                                                    $55.0M

President’s Budget                                                 $14.4M

House Appropriations Sub-committee               $20.4M

Senate Appropriations Sub-committee              $23.0M

Conference Committee                                           ? (September)

Since the Project’s critical path funding needs are in the neighborhood of $40 to $45M, the range of the above funding amounts will have an impact on the pace of the project.  We will continue with both construction and design efforts next year, but at a reduced level. 

·        Upcoming Construction Contracts – Even with the anticipated FY 02 funding levels, we are planning to award three of the four construction contracts reported last month.  Due to the FY02 funding outlook, we have cancelled the Construction Field Office solicitation.  The Upstream Cofferdam was advertised on July 2^nd with a bid opening scheduled for August 21st.  A pre-bid meeting at the site for potential bidders was held on July 25^th.  There will be one amendment to this solicitation that may delay the bid opening by a few days.  The Bridge Piers were advertised July 5th and a pre-bid meeting was held on July 26th.  An amendment was issued on 31 July with another one planned before the 23 August bid opening.  The Wetlands at Benton are planned to be a negotiated contract that should be issued in the September timeframe.

·        Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision – No public comments were received during the comment period on the Final SEIS and BG Hawkins signed the Record of Decision (ROD) on 20 July.  The ROD summarizes all agency comments on the FSEIS and documents the Corps’ plans to proceed with all of the proposed changes to the Project since the original 1992 EIS.  Project features that are immediately impacted by the ROD include the addition of the expansion of the west bank boat basin to the Bridge Pier solicitation and the start of the mussel relocation efforts under the proposed west bank fishing jetties.

·        FY 01 Reprogramming Action – Higher authorities in the Corps have directed Nashville District to allow reprogramming of $1M in FY 01 funds to be used by another navigation project, Olmsted L&D.  We have planned for this reduction in funding and it will not significantly affect progress on the KY Lock project.  Most of the reduction will be accommodated by reducing the FY 01 funds obligated for the two large construction contracts under advertisement.  Since the advertisement of the contracts were delayed over original plans, they did not require significant funding in this FY. 

Construction activities:

·        TVA Transmission Towers –  The fourth and final tower on the east bank was completed in July.  Erection work for the fourth and final tower on the powerhouse island is scheduled to commence the week of 13 August.  TVA still plans to complete this tower and all other relocation efforts by the end of September.  TVA’s Heavy Equipment Division has initiated the construction of a $1.1M retaining wall to protect the three downstream 69 kV transmission towers.   The first shipment of Z-piles for the wall is expected to arrive the week of 13 August.  This wall’s construction is scheduled to last until December 2001.

·        West Bank Hwy/RR Embankment – Murray Paving continued construction of the combined embankment located to the east of the existing railroad embankment in July.  Limited work also occurred to the west of the existing railroad embankment in preparation for the placement of the lightweight fill that should commence by the second week in August.  This $5.9M contract is approximately 30% complete. 

C.        PROGRESS FOR THE MONTH: 

Environmental 

·        Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement –  See Significant Activities under B. 

·        Wetland Mitigation -  Coordination with the Small Business Administration for this construction solicitation has been completed and contract negotiations with an 8A firm are expected to commence within the next 1.5 months.   

·        Mussel Mitigation –   All underwater survey work has been completed and report compilation is ongoing. 

·        Tailwater Fishing Mitigation (West Bank Jetties) – The full-scale mussel relocation efforts within the proposed jetties’ footprints are to commence on 6 Aug and will take 5 to 7 weeks to complete.  The jetties design quantities are being refined by a hydrographic survey the week of 6 August and contract plans are on hold until this survey can be compiled.  The construction of the jetties is still anticipated to commence by late summer 

WES Navigation Model

Status – A draft final report is currently under review. 

WES Lock Model

Jose’ Sanchez from WES came to Nashville this month to brief the design team on test results with the new middle wall nose pier location.  The testing did indicate stronger vortices forming than the previous location, but they only occur during extreme headwater and tailwater conditions and they can be mitigated with a slower valve time.  Therefore, the testing confirmed the new nose pier location is acceptable.  Jose indicated he will decide whether to recommend further testing to analyze other possible mitigation measures when he issues his report. 

Lock Design

In-house.  The main focus of in-house resources is to manage A/E contracts and initiate the new construction contracts mentioned in section B above.  Work is continuing on, the support of WES’s Lock Model work, existing lock anchoring and instrumentation design, miter gate design, and the Materials DM. 

Electrical/Mechanical Design.   MWH has received the 95% submittal comments and are working on resolving for a final submission before the end of the FY. 

Upper Approach Walls –  The final submittal for this task order is being printed by INCA and will be submitted to the District later this month. 

 Miter Gate Design.  Louisville District’s work on the Plans & Specifications was delayed for other in-house work.  They are still preparing to send INCA a package to perform an engineer’s check.  Plans & Specs will be complete and ready for ITR review by mid-September. 

Site Utilities – The 70% submittal is being assembled by MWH and is expected in the District the week of 6 August. 

Upstream Monolith Design – Black & Veatch is working on tasks associated with the recently awarded task order modification which addresses seismic stability analysis.  The 30% submittal was delayed approximately 60 days due to the requirement for this work. 

Downstream Lock Design -  A coordination meeting with LRH and Bergmann/Gerwick to discuss issues common to the downstream cofferdam and downstream lock structure designs was held in Nashville on August 1^st.  Issues discussed included drilling of additional exploratory holes and anchoring of float-in segments to cast in place wall monoliths and thermal considerations of the anchoring.  Also discussed was available and needed construction clearances. 

Demolition and Modification of Existing Operations Building – District review comments on the 95% submittal of Plans & Specifications were sent to MWH the first part of August.  This design will be complete later this summer. 

New Operations Building & Maintenance Complex –  MWH was awarded this task order in July and have begun work on the designs.  A 60% submittal is expected the first part of October. 

East Bank Roadways/Site Plan P&S – Efforts have been initiated to issue a modification to ACE to prepare P&S for the parking lots, roadways, and site grading for the east bank area of the lock.   

Transmission Towers 

Construction progress – See Construction Activities in Section B. 

Disposal/Contractor Laydown Areas  

Vulcan Materials Disposal Site – This task order was completed in July. 

Cofferdam Design

Downstream cofferdam –  Award of this task order is expected the first part of August.  Bergmann/Gerwick attended the meeting discussed in “Downstream Lock Design” above to discuss issues related to LRH’s work.  At this meeting a simple and inexpensive method to allow alignment of permanent wall monolith joints with joints in the float-in sections of the cofferdam was agreed to. 

Materials DM

WES is continuing testing on concrete mixes.  We are still on schedule to issue an essentially complete report at the beginning of FY 02.  Reports on some testing continuing past this date will be issued as an addendum to the report.

A meeting with potential aggregate suppliers was held on 27 July at the Barkley Resource Managers Office.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss aggregate specifications for the two advertised construction contracts, anticipated specifications for lock construction, and testing results to date.  Minutes for this meeting will be available by mid-August on the Kentucky Lock web site. 

Relocations 

·        RR/Hwy Design

·        Substructure Solicitation – The team prepared one amendment for the solicitation in July and is working on a second one based on questions that were asked in the pre-bid meeting on 26 July.  The first amendment included the addition of plans and specifications for the expansion of the west bank boat basin.

·        East Bank Approaches – A design coordination meeting was held on 26 July to discuss primarily the 50% East Bank P&S submittals by ACE and Hanson.  All issues were resolved and both firms are proceeding with the development of a 90% package for submittal by September 28, 2001.

·        West Bank Embankment Modification – Hanson submitted the final P&S for the extension of the railroad embankment and water line relocation on the west bank.  This work will be accomplished through a modification to Murray Paving that should be executed this FY.  The water line relocation has been submitted to the KY Division of Water for review/approval.

·        Superstructure Design – Scoping efforts are ongoing with both Hanson and ACE to commence the final design of the bridges’ superstructure and all remaining facets of the Hwy and RR relocations. 

Miscellaneous

 KY Lock Telephone Directory – A list of all organizations and key personnel involved in the design of this project that contains their address, phone numbers and email addresses is available upon request to Don Getty, (615) 736-2346 [don.b.getty@lrn02.usace.army.mil]. 

Future Project Meetings

·        August 9 – Follow-up meeting with Rogers Group Quarry

·        Sept 26-27 (Tentative) – 70% Site Utilities at KY Lock

·        October 25 – 90% East Bank Approaches Meeting

End of Report