Melvin Price Locks and Dam

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, at 1 Lock and Dam Way, East Alton, Illinois, explains the structure and its engineering.

Melvin Price Locks and Dam
Melvin Price Locks and Dam
(Lock and Dam number 26)
Location of Melvin Price Locks and Dam in Missouri
LocationAlton, Illinois / West Alton, Missouri, USA
Coordinates38°52′09″N 90°09′13″W
Construction began1978
Opening date1989
Operator(s) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsUpper Mississippi River
Length1,160 feet (353.6 m)
Reservoir
CreatesPool 26
Total capacity238,000 acre⋅ft (0.294 km3)
Catchment area171,470 sq mi (444,100 km2)

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. 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.

It is named after Illinois Congressman Charles Melvin Price.

References

List of locks and dams of the Upper Mississippi River
Upstream:
Lock and Dam No. 25
Downstream:
Chain of Rocks Lock
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