Melvin Price Locks and Dam is a dam and two locks at river mile 200.78 on the Upper Mississippi River, about 17 mi 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. The main lock is 1200 ft long and 110 ft wide; the auxiliary is 600 ft long and 110 ft wide. The main lock has a vertical lift gate and a miter gate while the aux. lock has two miter gates. The dam is 1160 ft long with 9 tainter gates, each 110 ft wide by 42 ft high. It is named after Illinois Congressman Charles Melvin Price.

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