Unusual Site: Pair Of Enormous Upright Locks Transported Down Mississippi River Through Lock And Dam Near Alton

ALTON - An unusual scene caught the eye of boaters navigating on the Mississippi River just outside Alton on Wednesday - a pair of enormous huge uplight dam locks were being transported on a barge navigating downriver.

Alton's Don Huber was one of those who saw the locks transported and said they were “immense” and “very interesting to see." "You don't see this every day."

“These were the old swing-type locks,” Huber, a long-time Alton historian, added. “They must be going on downriver to another lock and dam area.”

A person at the Melvin Price Lock and Dam confirmed the locks will be used for parts for miter gates and it was locking in at the moment in Alton. The Melvin Price Lock and Dam staff navigated the barge and the locks through the lock entrance and exit. The barge rested for a few minutes inside the Lock and Dam chamber before it headed downstream. Adjustments were made to the water levels and the barge headed on downriver.

Miter gates are used to close off the entrance or exits of navigational locks to allow passage between various levels in a river system. Miter gates are typically hydraulically operated and used to provide sustainable river navigation and are often referred to as hydraulic miter gates or lock gates.

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