Ground broken for Montgomery Point Lock and Dam

Ground was officially broken Dec. 3 to make way for Montgomery Point, the last lock and dam on the Arkansas River, marking a milestone in the history of the Little Rock District. 

The ceremony was attended by influential people from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Washington D.C. All who attended had to be brought in by boat or bus because of the remote site of the project.

The Motor Vessel Shorty Baird, pushing the inspection barge outfitted with an extra tent to accommodate the crowd, picked up about 240 people at Norrell Lock and Dam for the hour and one-half trip to the site.

The boat was loaded with Corps employees, news media, dignitaries and supporters of the waterway system from across the country.

Dr. John Zirschky, acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; USACE Director of Civil Works, Maj. Gen. Russell Furhman; SWD Engineer, Col. Donald Holzwarth; and Congressman Jay Dickey are just a few of the people who enjoyed the scenery and the trip down the river

"Just getting everyone to and from the site was a real challenge," said Randy Hathaway, Montgomery Point project manager. "We had arranged to fly some of the dignitaries to the site, but the weather grounded our helicopters. So then everyone either rode the boat or was taken to the site."

But the damp weather didn't seem to dampen any spirits at the ceremony. Ceremony hosts, the Corps of Engineers and the Coalition for Montgomery Point Lock and Dam, led the cry for continued teamwork to see the project through to the end.

"One common thread running through this project is the teamwork that has been involved in bringing it to this point," said Col. Scott Morris, district engineer. "This is going to continue to be a team effort, right through to the construction and operation of the project."

Congressman Dickey praised the organizations for their work on getting the project to this point.

"We need to be unified as we are supporting this river, as we are supporting our economy," Dickey said. "We need to be together, to be coordinated. I want to encourage you to stay together, because there is a wonderful unity here, and people are watching us from all over the country."

The construction of Montgomery Point is important, not only for the Corps, but for the navigation system and all the areas that it services.

"The lock and dam we begin building today will eliminate the last uncontrolled stretch of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and insure a safe, constant navigation channel from the Mississippi River to Tulsa," Furhman said.

"For us, this ceremony marks the beginning of something new, but at the same time, the continuation of a tradition that has been part of the Corps of Engineers since the beginning."

Over the years, the federal government has been involved in building 12,000 miles of commercial inland navigation systems and 235 locks, soon to be 236 with the completion of Montgomery Point.

The $186.1 million contract for Montgomery Point was issued in July to J.A. Jones Construction Company and Guy F. Atkinson Construction Company Joint Venture of Charlotte, N.C. The lock and dam will be completed by 2002.

"A project of this magnitude is followed by the heavy construction industry," said Doug Sickle of J.A. Jones Atkinson Contractors. "We were aware that this project existed, but were surprised to hear that is was already being advertised. That's a tribute to the people who have dedicated their time to get this project approved and started."

Sickle promised the standing-room-only crowd that they would provided the safest work place possible during the estimated 1.3 million man hours that it will take to complete this project.

Montgomery Point is being constructed in response to a chronic low water problem in the entrance canal to the navigation system. When completed, the lock will help maintain a year-round navigation pool and eliminate the need for major dredging in the area.

The dam's bottom-hinged, torque-tube gates will normally remain on the channel bottom, and traffic will pass over them. But during low Mississippi River levels, they will be raised to form the navigation pool, and traffic will use the lock.