Construction beginning today at Lock & Dam No. 3

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials urged boaters to be careful around U.S. Lock & Dam No. 3, where construction work began today.

The contractor, Edward Kraemer and Sons of Plain, Wis., will be working on the lock's upper guide wall, a connecting cell and an embankment, according to a press release. Work will continue until the end of the 2010 navigation season, according to the corps.

Portable barges will be used as floating platforms for cranes and will be assembled near the corps' dock above the upper approach to the lock at Upper Mississippi River mile marker 797.3.

"Recreational boaters are advised to operate at a safe distance from the work," corps officials said in a press release. "Mooring, or attaching to floating equipment is not allowed."

A helper boat will be available around the clock to assist commercial barge lockage. If river speeds increase, a second helper boat could be added, corps officials said.

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