WINFIELD, Mo. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the Winfield Recreation Area will be closed beginning this summer in order to complete projects at Lock and Dam 25.
On June 15, the recreation area, parking lot, and comfort station will not be accessible to the public as the project to add a new 1,200-foot lock chamber will begin. This part of the dam is what helps raise and lower water levels as needed.
“This will make locking time over four times faster by eliminating the need to perform a ‘double-lockage’ which is needed for a 15-barge commercial tow to get through a 600-foot lock chamber, currently standard on the Upper Mississippi River, above St. Louis,” the release stated.
It was emphasized that this new addition will increase overall safety and decrease the transit times as the locks were last designed in the 1930s.
Beyond the lock chamber, the group will also be putting in a new maintenance and storage facility and a new downstream navigation guide cell.
Construction is expected to last until Oct. 31, 2026. For more detailed information, click here.