| Dam crosses | Upper Mississippi River |
|---|---|
| Res name | Pool 26 |
| Location | Alton, Illinois / West Alton, Missouri, USA |
| Operator | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District |
| Dam length | 1,160 feet (353.6 m) |
| Construction began | 1978 |
| Opening | 1989 |
| Res capacity total | 238,000 acre feet |
| Res catchment | 171,470 sq mi (444,100 km2) |
| Coordinates | 38°52′09″N 90°09′13″W |
| Lock name | Lock 26 |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Mississippi River |
| First | 1979 |
| Length | 1,200 feet (370 m) main, 600 feet (180 m) auxiliary lock |
| Width | 110 feet (34 m) main, 110 feet (34 m) auxiliary |
| Coordinates | 38°52′09″N 90°09′13″W |
Melvin Price Locks and Dam is a dam and two locks at river mile 200.78 on the Upper Mississippi River, about 17 miles (27 km) north of Saint Louis, Missouri. The collocated National Great Rivers Museum, explains the structure and its engineering.
Background
Construction began in 1979, the main lock opened in 1990, and the full structure was completed in 1994. It replaced the earlier Lock and Dam No. 26, demolished in 1990, and is the first replacement structure on the Upper Mississippi River nine-foot navigation project.
Specifications
The main lock is 1,200 feet (370 m) long and 110 feet (34 m) wide; the auxiliary is 600 feet (180 m) long and 110 feet (34 m) wide. The main lock has a vertical lift gate and a miter gate while the aux. lock has two miter gates. The dam is 1,160 feet (350 m) long with 9 tainter gates, each 110 feet (34 m) wide by 42 feet (13 m) high.
The locks raise or lower vessels 15 feet (4.6 m).
It is named after Illinois Congressman Charles Melvin Price.
External links
- Melvin Price Locks and Dam - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- National Great Rivers Museum (USACE)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office
- Hydroacoustic Identification and Sampling of Fish Aggregations in Tailwater Areas (2005 Monitoring Report – Fish Passage Melvin Price Locks and Dam, Alton, Illinois and Lock and Dam 22, Saverton, Missouri)
- Map of Melvin Price Locks and Dam area