28 Jan 2025

Montgomery Locks and Dam, Ohio River: Navigation Approach Physical Model

Abstract: A physical model study of the Montgomery Locks and Dam was conducted to optimize the navigation conditions for the new riverside lock and guard wall design developed by the Pittsburgh District. A 1:100 Froude scale physical model was built to evaluate the navigation conditions for tows entering and exiting the locks in the upstream and downstream approaches. Conditions tested were Existing Conditions, Deconstruction Sequences, Construction Sequences, and Proposed Design. Data were also collected for impact analysis on the upstream and downstream riverside guard walls. The final design consisted of an upstream ported guard wall that is 1,000 ft in length and a downstream solid guard wall that is 800 ft in length. The implementation of submerged dikes in the upstream and downstream approaches improve navigation conditions significantly and are an essential part of the final design. Details are shown in Section 3.5 of this report.