Wolf Creek Dam Project Nearly Done
The final pour of concrete for a barrier wall in the dam in Jamestown, Ky., has been done, The Tennessean reported. It is intended to prevent a breach that would have triggered catastrophic flooding downstream, including in Nashville.
The final concrete pour in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' repair project at the Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Ky., has been completed, The Tennessean's Duane W. Gang reported. The dam stretches more than a mile in length and holds back the largest reservoir east of the Mississippi River; the barrier wall now in place will prevent erosion at the dam's base and a possible breach with flooding that would devastate downstream communities, including Nashville, which is more than 100 miles away, he reported.
The Corps' Nashville District oversees the project. Past Corps news releases explain how big the job is and how safely it has proceeded. In August 2012, the construction workers completed a million hours without a lost-time accident, working in a cramped space that measures 80 feet wide and 4,000 feet long, the Nashville District's Lee Roberts reported.
The contractor for the job is Treviicos-Soletanche Joint Venture. "A year without a lost-time accident is a significant accomplishment," Bill DeBruyn, Nashville District's resident engineer at the dam, said, according to another news release. "On this project it is made more significant by the fact that over a one-year period, the contractor worked two 12-hour shifts and operated roughly 24 pieces of heavy equipment."
Fabio Santillan, project manager for Treviicos-Soletanche J.V., said the work crews accumulated more than 11,000 man-hours per week. "Thirteen drilling rigs and several other ancillary equipment work in a very congested area day and night with no interruption. We perform on average more than 385 crane lifts every day and 110,000 per year. Each lift is a critical operation that requires our personnel to understand the risks and to follow the procedures in a methodic and safe manner," Santillan said, according to a release written by Roberts.