1935 Mississippi Lock and Dam #5 at Whitman, MN

(John A. Weeks III; HAER; Satellite)

USACE-mission
Constructed and placed in operation May 1935. Site underwent major rehabilitation from 1987 through 1998. Dam consists of concrete structure 1,619 feet long with six roller gates and 28 tainter gates. Earth embankment 18,000 feet long.
USACE-content
A lift of 9'

The red line highlights the earthen embankment. The yellow line shows where there is a culvert under the embankment to keep the wetlands wet.

Satellite plus Paint

Building dams in a swamp is challenging. Now that I've studied a few more dams in the upper-Upper Mississippi, I've noticed that the river channel is typically not as well defined as it is in the lower-Upper Mississippi. As shown by the red line above the dam is over three miles long because of the earth embankment. Furthermore, there is another dam, #5A, just a few miles downstream from this one with another long embankment. And it has a lift of only 5.5'.

At the time of construction of Lock and Dam Number 5T the river was about 2 to 2-1/2 miles wide, with the main channel at the foot of the bluff. The river normally maintained a width of 800 feet, widening to 2 miles in flood stages. Prior to construction, the river bottom rose gently from the river to the Wisconsin bluffs and was overgrown with brush and timber. [HAER-data]

Screenshot

Screenshot

Matthew Cooper posted four photos with the comment: "Lock & Dam 5."

I think the American Duchess is upbound and the photos are in reverse order. That is why I reversed them when I copied them. In the last photo, look at all of the speedboats that are coming into the lock to go downbound.

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HAER-grid, Part 1

HAER-grid, Part 2

1926-1991 8th Street Toll Bridge over Ohio River at Bellaire-Benwood

(Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; see below for satellite)

"Operated as a privately owned toll bridge until 1991 when Ohio DOT cut off the west approach to build a new OH 7. Now owned by KDC investments which is in litigation with three companies who claim they paid for the exclusive scrap rights." [BridgeHunterIndex]

I learned of this cantilever bridge from this photo that I found while researching a steel mill in Benwood, WV.

When the free Moundsville Bridge opened in 1986, this toll bridge lost half of its traffic.

C Hanchey Flickr via Bridge Hunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)

"The bridge was historically and technologically significant as the second oldest highway bridge on the Ohio River that spanned the entire Ohio River, and also for being among the oldest surviving highway cantilever spans in the United States. It was also distinguished as one of the oldest and most unaltered highway cantilever spans in the United States." It has a historic rating of 10/10. The rust is just superficial because salt was never used on the bridge by the toll road owners. Only the concrete deck is falling apart. [HistoricBridges]  So replace the concrete with plastic planking that looks like wood and open it as a trail bridge. The viaduct over Benwood can be torn down and replaced with the type of spiral ramps used for the Big Four Bridge at Louisville so that Benwood quits complaining about the bridge. Building those ramps would probably cost less than the demolition.

Boston Public Library Flickr via Bridge Hunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

I'm saving the satellite image since companies are fighting for the right to scrap this bridge. Since this bridge is made with steel that was probably made from iron ore, as opposed to just scrap steel, it probably would fetch premium scrap steel prices. The bridge still stands in a Mar 2021 Google Earth image. One of the legal issues that has delayed the destruction of the bridge is that the Coast Guard is investigating whether or not Ohio state promised the bridge owner that they would build new ramps for the bridge. Historic Bridges reports that they did use taxpayer money to design new ramps.

Satellite

This view was taken from the OH-7 road whose construction destroyed the approaches to the bridge on the Ohio side.

Street View, note the WLE/B&O Bridge peaking through underneath the truss

edgar jusionis, May 2021

1977 I-275 Carroll Lee Cropper Bridge over Ohio River west of Cincinnati, OH

(Bridge Hunter; Satellite, on the north side it is in Indiana instead of Ohio)

Shawn Fox posted, cropped
Max Wolf: I 275 bridge Carroll C Copper mm492 on the OHR
Don Sanders: Just upstream of this bridge is the exact middle point of the Ohio River, Mile 490.5.
Dennis DeBruler: These photos of bridges is a great exercise. This bridge is in a wilderness, and I could not find any decent landside photos.

Roadtrippers

The Indianapolis News: April 22 1973 via Bridge Hunter

1913 B&SV/C&NW Bass Point High Bridge near Boone, IA

(Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

I was going to skip yet another steel tower trestle. But when I saw that the public can ride on this trestle, I decided it was worth noting.

The 1913 bridge is 156' high. The steam locomotive that they run was the last one commercially produced. It was built in China for $350,000. [Readers Digest, Nov 2021, p45]

 

Iowa Road Trip posted

Rail Explorers crossing Bass Point Creek High Bridge in Boone, Iowa 

Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip

Adam Bonnell: I’ve worked for Rail Explorers for 2 years and i can tell you going out on the tracks hundreds of times never gets old!

Chris Ciesla posted six photos with the comment:

Bass Point High Bridge sit NW of Boone, Iowa and was originally built by the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern, an electric interurban that ran from Des Moines to Fort Dodge and Rockwell City, Iowa.
It's still possible to ride over this bridge on the Boone & Scenic Valley RR who purchased the ;one from the C&NW in the 1960s to continue operate this section of the RR.

Dave Amo: Greatest trestle in the state.

[I wonder why Dave thinks this one is greater than the Kate Shelley Trestle just a mile or so southwest from here.]

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[This trestle is an example of the design that saves steel by using deeper girders between the towers than over the top of the towers.]

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A topo map shows that the Des Moines River has carved a bit of a canyon in this part of Iowa. Thus the tributaries such as Bass Point Creek also have a canyon. On this 1965 map, the railroad is still labeled Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern. So the C&NW was reluctant to purchase an interurban.

1965 Boone West Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

This extract of the topo map has the Kate Shelly High Bridge in the lower-left corner and the Bass Point High Bridge in the upper-right corner.

1965 Boone West Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

2 of 5 photos Marty Bernard posted posted with the comment: "5 of the Boone & Scenic Valley RR and the Bass Point High Bridge. Captions with photos"

Marty Bernard sharedshared

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4. Boone & Scenic Valley RR, Bass Point High Bridge, Boone, IA May 19, 1984. Unknown photographer, Iowa Chapter NRHS collection

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5. Boone & Scenic Valley RR, Bass Point High Bridge, Boone, IA Oct. 27, 1984. Unknown photographer, Iowa Chapter NRHS collection

1938 Mississippi Lock and Dam #3 Near Red Wing, MN (Welch, MN)

(John A. Weeks III; Satellite) Red Wing is the nearest town, but most references use Welch, MN.

USACE
Dam is 365' long with 4 roller gates. More than 2,000 feet of earth embankment with a series of upstream spot dikes completes the structure to create Pool 3.
Constructed and placed in operation July 1938. Site underwent major rehabilitation from 1988 through 1991.

The structure is somewhat unique in that the dam itself is not very long, while the river itself is rather wide. The bulk of the structure consists of earth embankments and dikes. The main dam structure consists of 4 roller gates. The lock structure is the standard size for the upper Mississippi of 110 feet wide by 600 feet long.  [JohnWeeks]

USACE-history
The lift is 8'.

John Weeks

USACE-flow

USACE-media

The highlighted curve in the bank upstream of the lock created an outdraft current that shoved downbound tows away from the lock and towards the gated structure. This has caused many accidents, including 11 incidents since 1968 when tows collided with the gated part of the dam. "Navigation accidents can render the four roller gates inoperable, resulting in overtopping and erosion of the embakments. Failure of the embankment system could result in an accidental drawdown of Pool 3 with significant economic and environmental consequences. [USACE-history]

Google Earth, Sep 2009

Using 2009 Tiger funds, an 862' guide wall extension was completed in Apr 2011.

Google Earth, Aug 2011

And a closure dike was completed in Oct 2011. Other improvements such as dredging the channel, improving embankments with sheet pile and riprap, and restoring 313 acres of floodplain were also done.

Google Earth, Sep 2012

The estimate for this 21st Century work was $70m. Until this work was done, USACE rated this structure as the second most likely Corps structure to fail. If it did fail, navigation above Red Wing, MN, would not be possible and the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant would have to be shut down because its water intakes would be above the water level of a drained pool #3. That plant supplies half of the electricity to the twin cities area. [JohnWeeks]

USGS

The post that motivated researching this dam.

Brian Klawitter commented on a post
L&D 3 in 1999....seems like they're thinning out a bit.
[Judging from the context, they are dealing with dead mayflies. This gives us a unique perspective of roller gates that are all the way up.]

1893 Corinth Canal, Greece

(Satellite)

The movable bridges on this canal go down under the water rather than swing to the side or go up.

Bresilda Quinto posted
Tight Squeeze  Corinth Canal, Greece.
Rose Smith shared
[There are some comments implying the ships have side thrusters.]
Highway Engineering Discoveries posted
Michael Gibson: When I went through in 89 HMS Sheffield F96 it was rattan and pneumatic fenders and believe it or not bamboo poles .
Bridge and Bridge roof plus tiller flats manned to steer through .

The Marine Buff posted

The Corinth Canal, resembling a massive cut through Greece with a giant knife, spans 6.4 kilometers and was completed in 1893. This engineering feat required extensive excavation through solid rock and serves as a crucial shortcut for maritime traffic between the eastern and western Mediterranean. 

The canal's construction was a monumental task, taking 11 years to complete. The project faced numerous financial and logistical challenges, including initial bankruptcies of construction companies and significant engineering difficulties. Despite these hurdles, the canal was eventually completed and opened, significantly reducing travel time for ships by eliminating the need to navigate around the Peloponnesian peninsula.

Throughout history, various attempts were made to construct a canal at this location, dating back to ancient times with efforts by Periander in the 7th century BC and Roman Emperor Nero in the 1st century AD. However, these early attempts failed due to technical and financial constraints.

The canal cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, which connects the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, creating a direct link between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. This strategic location makes it an essential passage for small to medium-sized vessels, although its narrow width limits its use for larger modern ships.

Today, the Corinth Canal is not only a vital maritime route but also a popular tourist attraction, offering stunning views and a unique navigational experience through its steep, rock-cut walls.

Ocean Fight posted two photos with the comment: 

The Corinth Canal is a man-made waterway that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea to the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea, effectively separating the Peloponnese peninsula from mainland Greece. Here are some key details about the Corinth Canal:

 • Location: The canal is located in Greece and cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, which is about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) wide.

 • Length and Dimensions: The Corinth Canal is approximately 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) long, 24.6 meters (81 feet) wide at sea level, and has a depth of around 8 meters (26 feet). The sides of the canal rise up to about 79 meters (259 feet) at their highest point.

 • Construction: The idea of building the canal dates back to ancient times, with the first attempts made during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero in the 1st century AD. However, the canal was not completed until the late 19th century, with construction taking place from 1881 to 1893.

 • Purpose: The Corinth Canal was constructed to provide a shortcut for maritime traffic between the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea, eliminating the need for ships to navigate around the Peloponnese peninsula, which would have added an extra 185 nautical miles (343 kilometers) to their journey.

 • Challenges: Despite its strategic importance, the canal’s narrow width and shallow depth limit its use to smaller ships and vessels. Larger modern ships cannot pass through the canal, so its significance in global trade is limited.

 • Tourism: Today, the Corinth Canal is a popular tourist attraction. Many visitors come to see the impressive engineering feat and take boat tours through the canal. It’s also a favorite spot for bungee jumping due to the height of the canal walls.

The Corinth Canal, with its steep limestone walls and narrow passage, is a remarkable sight and a testament to human engineering, even though its practical use in modern shipping is relatively limited.

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You can see tow lines in the photo above. But this photo explicitly shows that the bigger ships are towed through the canal. Through the truss we can see another ship coming. Because the canal is obviously one way, they convoy ships through it.

Florela Petculescu, Mar 2021
Wonderful Engineering Discoveries posted
Corinth Canal, Greece

 

Greeker than the Greeks posted

The Corinth Canal, a man-made wonder, is a waterway across the Isthmus of Corinth, connecting the Gulf of Corinth in the northwest with the Saronic Gulf in the southeast.

Before the canal was built, ships were forced to make the long journey around the peloponnese Peninsula, adding an extra 320 kilometres to their journey.

In around 600 BC, Periander, the founder of the Cypselid Dynasty of Corinth, had the brilliant idea of taking ships out of the water and pulling them overland, on a type of railroad track; the diolkos (parts of which are still visible today), on which ships were hauled on wheeled wagons across the Isthmus.

This practice was used until about the 9th century, when ships had become too large for this system.

In 1882 work began on digging out, mostly by hand, the Corinth Canal, which opened 11 years later, in 1893.

The canal walls are more than 240 feet (80m) high, with an in-water depth of 24 feet (8m) and just over 3.7 miles (6km) long.

The Canal is a popular tourist attraction; large ships being pulled through the canal by small tugboats, a sight worth seeing.

Photo by DronEye

[The comments offer several more photos.]

 

Weird but True posted

The construction of the Corinth Canal, a remarkable engineering feat of the 19th century, began in 1882 and concluded in 1893. Its purpose? To create a direct route between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf, saving ships from the arduous and perilous 700-kilometer journey around the Peloponnese peninsula.

At first, the task of building the canal was undertaken by the French company Société Internationale du Canal Maritime de Corinthe. However, the project faced significant challenges. The land conditions were treacherous, financial difficulties plagued the construction, and landslides from the steep canal walls caused delays. Windy conditions further complicated navigation, making the task even more daunting.

Despite these obstacles, around 2,000 workers persevered, carving out a passage 6.4 kilometers long and 21.3 meters wide. After 11 years of grueling work, the canal was finally completed. Though narrow by modern standards and unsuitable for many of today’s larger ships, the Corinth Canal remains an iconic waterway and an impressive testament to human determination and ingenuity.

This historic canal stands as a reminder of the ambition to conquer natural barriers and improve global trade routes, bridging two seas while offering a glimpse into the past of engineering innovation.

~ Weird but True

Ocean Fight posted
An aerial view of the Corinth Canal, a narrow artificial waterway connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in Greece. This engineering marvel, completed in 1893, cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and significantly reduces the travel distance for ships between the Aegean and Ionian Seas. The canal is 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) long, 24.6 meters [81'] wide at its base, and has steep limestone walls that reach up to 63 meters [207'] in height.

It is just 70' wide at sea level. It is 81' wide at the top of its rock walls that go up to 300'. The 70' width limits the width of ships to 58'. The canal is also used for bungee jumping from a height of 256'.

The canal is 3.9 miles long and has a draft of 26'. [britannica]

Does the rock slope change because they know there was a different type of rock or because there was a previous rock slide?

Randolfo Santos, Jan 2020

Street View

Street View from the other side of the Old Bridge

The canal is currently [Summer of 2021] closed because of a rockslide that happened in Jan 2021. (source)

From the beginning, the canal was prone to rockslides because the sedimentary rock has been weakened by the extensive seismic activity in the area. A lot of work has been done over the decades to stabilize the canal walls. Unfortunately, some of that work is now failing.

"According to the studies carried out so far by the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport, moisture and erosion caused the loss of the stone piers that supported and protected the ground from falling into the canal. The preliminary work on the studies is expected to be completed in September. Then the construction for the project will go up for bid, and the preliminary works on the sides of the Canal will begin subsequently." [GreekReporter]

A satellite image caught a freighter in the canal. This is rare because most freighters are now too big to use the canal. It is used mainly by tourist ships.

Satellite