POMEROY, Wash. – Public vehicle access across Lower Granite Lock and Dam reopened this morning after contractors completed construction of a temporary buttress on one of the bridge pier foundations for the Almota Ferry Road leading to the south-shore entrance across the dam.
Operations officials said the dam would resume its previous public vehicle crossing schedule -- daily from 7 a.m. through 5 p.m. Tour and school buses must contact the dam at 509-843-1493 at least 24 hours in advance for crossing authorization. Lower Granite Lock and Dam, located on the lower Snake River near Pomeroy, Wash., will be open for public vehicle crossings on Washington’s Birthday, Monday, Feb. 16.
The dam was closed to vehicle crossings Friday, Feb. 6, when Corps engineers determined a bridge pier foundation for the Almota Ferry Road approach to the top of the dam was compromised during adjacent construction activities for the Juvenile Fish Facility’s primary dewatering structure. Corps and contractor technical staffs designed a soil buttress to temporarily address load-carrying-capacity concerns on the bridge while they develop a long-term solution. As of Tuesday evening, contractors monitoring the site report no movement of the pier footing.
Motorists crossing the dam should be alert to ongoing construction activities for the dewatering structure which involve the use of heavy equipment and construction vehicles along the south-shore approach to the dam.
For information about Corps recreation areas in the nearby area, please contact the Lower Granite Natural Resources Management Office, 509-751-0240, or the Lower Granite Visitor Center, 509-843-1493, ext. 262.
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Release no. 15-012