The Fort Peck press., 1935-03-21
DrainageS Stops
ndercutting
of Channel

~ ~
to the general public concerning Il
spillway gate construction wer
announced today from the Distrit
Office of the Army Engineers at r
Peck, Montana.
A reinforced concrete gate strut
o ture resting on concrete piles set i
the firm sbale will be built nea
the upper end of the excavated char
D mel. In the channel approachin
the structure will be placed 100
of rip-rap 2 feet in thickness on
cushion of gravel, and between thi
rip-rap and the gate structure itsel
will be over 200 feet of reinforce,
slab concrete paving, resting direct
ly on the shale.
The gate structure will appear
as Is "streamlined" piers IL # wide
and 40 feet high, surmounted BY
a railroad rervice track and a high
way bridge. From pier to piel
(and on the ends from pier to con.
crete abutment structure) will be
located the 16 stony gates, each
approximately Is feet high and
40 feet wide. These gates may be
likened to huge, vertical, steel mats
rubber sealed against the concrete
piers and abutments to prevent
water seepage. Each gate will be
cushioned on rollers, and will be
raised or lowered, as conditions de-
maDd, by electric motors driving
q hoist chain. The weights of the
gates is to be counrer-balanced
by concrete countreweightS. Along
the font of the structure, at the
approximate elevation of the hoist
ing machinery, will be built the
service track to facilitate operation.
Water going past the spiIlway
will flow for approximately
$50 fest in troughs formed by rein
forced concrete training walls,
which are virtually extensions of
the piers at the front of the struc-
These training wallstaper off
in thickness and elevation as their
distance from the gates increases.
The centerline of the reinforced
concrete highway bridge passes ov-
II these training walls about 80 #.
downstream from (north of the
'ates. 1t is expected thst this brid.
,e will be connected eventually
With the continuation of the GAS {
.ow-Fort Peck highway, which will !
'e extended across the crest of the Z
lnished dam. !
The operations of the gates will :
'e controlled from a tower which :
e constructed on the west abut-
1ent. West of the gate structure |
building will be erected to pro- +
ide quarters for the operators. :
Great care has been given to the !.
latter Of drainage near the gate u
tructure. All drainage will be a
arried away from the edge of the :,
xcavated bank thus lessenius the %
disability Of excessive water seep-
& under the concrete facing.
Approximately one mile down =.
Ie channel from the gates and brid- r
will be q cutoff structure of re.
forced concrete. 1t appears as a
lined channel 100 feet in "
myth, 100 feet wide at the bottom ~
ID 189 feet wide at the top of the IL
oping sidewalks. The remarkable III
allure of this structure, designed 81
prevent the water discharge from I'll
e spillway from undertaking &
stroyiDg the channel, is the fact nd
1t it will have a maximum depth tn
1870 feet, 70 feet below the chan. Gu
bed.
Construction work on the pro-
t during the past week was some on
lat hampered by the weather. ba
e thaW and run-om caused the Pa
d of operations TO bpcome quite gel
Iddy but govt forces continued Co,
ii preparations for the opening Oh
dredging operations as soon as ers
ather and river conditions per- pos
:. Eight pipe sleds were complet- ito.
l20 piles were driven, 1900 Gu Stol