A huge taxpayer funded Upper Ohio River Project as part of Presidential Executive Order 14063 on Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects.

In 2024, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pittsburgh District awarded a nearly $770-million contract to construct a new 110 feet by 6-hundred feet lock chamber at Montgomery Locks and Dam in Monaca, Pennsylvania.  It is part of the even bigger Upper Ohio Navigation Project, itself the result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which already authorized $934-million in taxpayer funding for the project.

It is hoped the project will help with the transportation of at least 12-million tons of products in and out of the Port of Pittsburgh: “Completing the new lock chamber’s plan marks a significant achievement for the district’s team. This project is vital to ensuring safe and reliable navigation on the upper Ohio River. With the contract awarded, we are ready to advance this critical infrastructure for the region and the nation.”-Colonel Nicholas Melin, USACE Pittsburgh District

The old lock is almost 1-hundred years old, and will disrupt the U.S. domestic supply chain if it fails. It is estimated that if the old lock fails it would cause the loss of nearly $150-million for the U.S. economy, per year of shutdown.

The Montgomery Locks and Dam project must first deconstruct the old auxiliary lock chamber, then the new primary lock chamber will begin sometime in mid to late 2025. But even before that, a new ‘pad’ had to be built in order to mix, on-site, a special type of concrete that will be used. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers video explainer via Michel Sauret, released 03JAN2025:

USACE in Idaho: Boise State University joins forces with USACE, it’s about water!