| MAIN MENU | KENTUCKY LOCK ADDITION - PROGRESS REPORT |
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Revised 7 May 1999 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. FY 98 funding of $4M was used to continue WES model studies, the Lock DM, Transmission Tower DM, subsurface exploration, and initiate the Railroad DM. Construction on the project was initiated with the construction of an access road on the powerhouse island that was completed in August 1998. Due to fiscal reprogramming efforts within the Corps, the FY 99 funding plan of $12.6M is:
Subsurface exploration costs are included in the costs for the DM’s above. B. GENERAL Groundbreaking – Planning for the groundbreaking is ongoing. A planning session with industry and other interested participants is planned in May. Due to the needs of the groundbreaking, a new artist rendering of the project has been developed. It will be available soon on the new homepage (see below). New Homepage – LRN’s Public Affairs Office has initiated a KY Lock Homepage whose address is http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/pao/kylock/ . Although still in its infancy, it already has some interesting information contained in it, especially concerning the groundbreaking ceremony. The design team plans to add to the homepage’s capability to include such information as construction schedules and drawing information. If you have any suggestions for its improvement, please contact Dave Treadway at 615-736-7161 or Don Getty. Acceleration of FY 00 Expenditures – In response to the challenge by the Lakes and Rivers Division (LRD) Commander, BG Hans Vanwinkle, to the Nashville District (LRN) to develop a plan to expend $25M on KY Lock in FY 00, the design team has responded by identifying possible activities totaling $29.9M. There are two reasons for this emphasis to expend funds in FY 00. The first is that the five ongoing navigation projects in LRD plan to have tremendous funding needs in the FY 05 timeframe. Transferring some of these peak expenditures to FY 00 reduces the possibility of slowing some or all of these projects due to low funding ceilings. The second reason for the expenditure emphasis is that large amounts of CG carryover funds within the Corps’ budget are expected to be available in FY 00. It was made clear by BG Vanwinkle that only activities that made sense from an economic, engineering, and construction standpoint should be pursued. We believe that LRN’s $29.9M plan meets this test. The design team is taking steps to position ourselves to execute this plan if the funds become available. It should be noted that these increased expenditures do not translate to an accelerated completion date for the project. This plan simply moves out-year expenditures to FY 00.
C. PROGRESS FOR THE MONTH: Exploration The Corps’ Drill Crew has completed fifteen of the seventeen offset holes planned for the west bank (WB) RR alignment. They completed all nine holes along the proposed wye track alignment on the EB. Near term drilling and testing schedule: 14 May – Testing is complete and a test report is expected by this date for: 5 holes along WB RR offset alignment, 6 holes at Vulcan borrow site, 5 holes at the D/S transmission towers, 3 holes at the D/S guidewall, and 2 holes at the cemetery access road. Testing should commence on 9 WB RR offset holes. End of May – Initiate East Bank Hwy drilling by FMSM 10 May – Initiate drilling for remaining 14 holes at Vulcan East Strip borrow site 23 June - Initiate West Bank Hwy drilling by in-house crew July – Initiate overwater drilling by Harza for: 1) Hwy bridge piers, 2) D/S cofferdam, 3) U/S approach walls’ drilled shafts, and 4) possibly downstream bent locations for truss assembly. Hydraulic Design Duration and Frequency Data - Charlie Irwin’s (LRN) development of KY tailwater duration and frequency elevations on a monthly basis has been distributed.
Hydrographic Survey – The hydrographic survey to better locate/describe the downstream WB coffer cells and the survey of the boat basin on the downstream left bank was completed. WES Navigation Model Construction of the model is essentially
completed. Design flow testing is scheduled to begin by July 99, after calibration and
base conditions have been finalized. A meeting with navigation interests will be held at
WES to view the tests after base conditions have been substantially completed, probably in
the July timeframe. The internet address for the near real-time wind data at KY Lock has
changed. The new addresses are: http://www.orn.usace.army.mil/hh/DCP/CE68FA10T.txt
Lock Design In-house efforts continue to focus on the support of WES’s Lock and Navigation Model work, existing lock stability, new lock stability, miter gate design, culvert valve design, preliminary electrical/mechanical design, east bank permanent embankment, and the development and managing of task orders. Electrical/Mechanical Concept Report – Efforts by Harza Engineers on this feature are proceeding well. A 95% report is expected the week of 10 May.
Site Development – John Manor of LRN has completed conceptual designs and drawings of the new lock’s site development (available upon request). A task order is being developed with Gresham Smith and Partners to take this conceptual design to a DM level design. A draft scope is nearing completion and a kickoff meeting is scheduled for 13 May.
Lower Guidewall – Design efforts by Harza for this feature are on schedule. A 30% submittal was made the week of 12 April. A 30% review meeting is scheduled for 13 May. Roller Compacted Concrete testing commenced on 22 April with approximately half the of batches completed at the date of this report.
Upper Approach Walls - It is planned to issue a task order to advance the upstream guardwall to DM level to one of EP-D’s new IDT Contractors upon their selection (see below). Floating Caisson– A 30% submittal by INCA Engineers on this effort was received the week of 3 May. Miter Gate Design – Design efforts by the Louisville District Corps of Engineers (LRL) on this feature are proceeding well. A 30% submittal is expected by 14 May. As a result of LRL’s preliminary designs, the upper miter gate sill has been lowered by one foot, to elevation 334.0. As-built Drawings – It was determined that TVA’s Hydro Engineering Group could not devote sufficient resources for this feature in this FY. Therefore, a task order is being developed with AIMSI Engineers to perform this work. A site visit was made on 5 May to initiate these efforts.
EB Permanent Embankment – The DM level design of this feature is currently underway by EP-G and is expected to be completed in early spring. EP-D New IDT’s - The selection process for four new specialty lock A/E contracts is nearing completion. The first two contractors are expected to under contract by the second week in May with the remaining two following soon thereafter. Disposal/Contractor Laydown Areas Efforts have been initiated to more accurately determine the disposal and contractor laydown areal requirements for the various construction features of the Project. The last such assessment was made in the early 1990’s and changes/refinements in the Project’s design have prompted this reassessment. A site visit by engineering personnel was made on 19 April to examine possible locations. It was concluded from this visit that the following sites had merit from an engineering/construction standpoint: the west bank overbank area upstream of the boat basin, a small area on the EB near the cemetery access road, and the site off of Hwy 453 owned by Vulcan Materials and identified in the 1992 EIS. These sites are now being evaluated based on environmental considerations (see Environmental section). Cofferdam DM The task order to Harza Engineers for the design of the downstream cofferdam to a DM level was awarded on 30 March. A kick-off meeting for this effort is scheduled for 10 May. The geotechnical design of the upstream cofferdam and the overall development of the Cofferdam DM will be the responsibility of EP-G. It is anticipated that the structural design of the upstream cofferdam and the grouting plan for the lock will be by separate A/E contracts issued later this FY. Hwy/RR Quarterly Design Meetings – The next quarterly design meeting is scheduled for 11-12 May at the Lake Barkley Resource Managers office. The RR-only meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of 11 May. The joint Hwy/RR meeting is scheduled for the morning of 12 May and the Hwy-only meeting that afternoon. Highway DM DM Design – Activities performed during the month by American Consulting Engineers (ACE) include: Submission of Quality Control Plan and Design Schedule Submitted preliminary alignments and typical sections to the KyTC Initiated design of truss and plate girder alternatives for navigation span Initiated design analysis of 152 and 304 approach spans and approach span piers Initiated preliminary alignments for possible bike path Initiated computerized renderings Initiated field controls and surveys Initiated interchange operational characteristics study and access road to TVA towers A task order is being prepared to have Fuller, Mossbarger, Scott and May to perform the EB drilling and the geotechnical reports necessary for the Hwy DM. Coordination with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – A response to LRN’s letter of 30 December 1998 from the KyTC’s that documents their position on betterment sharing has not yet been received. LRN is continuing with the drafting of a betterment sharing agreement with the KyTC that needs to be in effect by approximately July 1999. Railroad DM Walker Cemetery Access Road – Hanson Engineers will be submitting the 90% Plans for this road the week of 10 May. The construction contract for this road is currently scheduled to be advertised in June 1999 with construction to commence by the end of this FY. These dates could be impacted if graves are found outside the cemetery’s fenced boundaries along the proposed road’s alignment. A task order should be issued the week of 10 May to an A/E firm that will attempt to determine if any graves are located in this area.
RR Design – In addition to the cemetery access road and WB utilities, Hanson Engineers have performed the following activities over the last month: Continued the preliminary design of the truss span Completed layout of the entire structure, including pier and abutment locations Continued the collection of information for MCACES cost estimates Continued preliminary foundation design for the piers. Completed field surveys at the Walker Cemetery, water and sewer lines, boring locations, KY 282, and wetland boundaries. North-Leg Wye track alternative analysis – Hanson Engineers are nearing completion of an analysis of both an eight and a nine degree curve for this wye track. Upon completion of this study, input will be solicited from both the P&L Railway, Inc. and Vulcan Materials in an effort to select one of the two alignments. Modifications to Hanson Contract – A scope of work for this effort has been finalized and negotiation efforts are scheduled for the middle of May. Because of the complexity and volume of extra work included in this scope for this FY, it is expected that the RR DM’s completion date will be slipped by approximately two months, to the middle of January 2000. WB Utility Relocations – Hanson will submit the design of the water and sewer lines to a 50% level at the 11 May quarterly meeting. It is anticipated that this construction contract will be advertised in August. Required coordination and development of legal documents with the owners could impact this schedule. Geotechnical Design – Harza’s 95% report for the WB DM geotechnical study was submited in late April. A task order to Harza to perform analyses for the EB retaining walls and wye track geotechnical studies was issued in early May. Another task order will be issued to Harza to complete geotechnical studies for P&S on the WB embankment upon completion of the testing of the 17 WB RR offset holes. P&L Purchase Order – A purchase order is under development by LRN to reimburse the P&L Railway for expenses incurred during the review of the design of this relocation. TVA Transmission Towers Relocation Eight Upstream Towers (four on each bank) - Design efforts by TVA engineers are proceeding, with foundation/footing designs scheduled for completion by the end of May. An initial order has been placed to acquire the structural steel for all eight towers. Due to scheduling conflicts within TVA and concerns about the Economy Act, it is not known what forces will be used to drive the piles necessary for the tower foundations on the powerhouse island. It is still hoped that significant efforts can be initiated on this effort this summer. It is currently planned to issue a construction contract for the concrete footings for all eight towers. TVA forces will erect the tower steel, possibly starting the erection of one tower this FY. Three Downstream Towers (69 kV) - A decision on relocating the three downstream towers is still pending based on a review of the engineering analysis performed by Harza Engineers in their DM level design of the downstream guidewall. The results of Harza’s analysis were included in their 30% submittal of the D/S guidewall DM. A final decision on the fate of these three towers will be made after a review of this report by LRN and TVA. Preliminary indications are that the 3 towers will not have to be relocated. Environmental Highway Environmental Assessment - A terrestrial field survey and the entire biological assessment is scheduled to be completed by TVA personnel by June. Consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service will commence shortly thereafter. This schedule should allow for the preparation and completion of an Environmental Assessment prior to the advertisement for the construction of the West Bank RR/Hwy embankment early next winter. Coordination - An environmental coordination meeting was held on site on 4 May with key personnel involved in the development of the Biological Assessment, Highway EA, and the Section 303 assessment (minutes available soon). A field visit was made to several sites to be identified/analyzed in the EA. A meeting to coordinate HTRW issues is tentatively scheduled for 18 May. Environmental Mitigation - Boat Ramp and Fishing Coffer Cell - Sam Perry out of TVA's Norris Office continues to advance the design of a new boat ramp and associated facilities on the West Bank. He also has started examining the possibility of raising the existing fishing coffer cell below the powerhouse to reduce its flooding potential and increase its functionality for the fishermen. Construction of the boat ramp is planned to be initiated this summer. Miscellaneous CADD Standards/Drawing Title Blocks - LRN and TVA are continuing their efforts to develop a drawing title block to be used for this Project. LRN is also updating the CADD standards to be followed in the development of all drawings. Development of Drawing Library System - LRN plans to develop a library of all drawings that can be accessed by all members of the design team. When it is complete, a message will be sent to all design team members. 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@usace.army.mil]. |
