Save the Date for Olmsted Ribbon Cutting

Published June 15, 2018

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District has distributed Save the Dates for the Olmsted Ribbon Cutting ceremony, slated to happen August 29 at the Olmsted Locks and Dam project in Olmsted, Illinois.

This is an event which has been a goal of the Louisville District for the past 30 years.

The project’s completion is critical to keeping America’s water highway moving. Bottlenecks along America’s 25,000 miles of inland waterways occur in a stretch of southern Illinois where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi, and the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers splinter off. Boats carry up to 90 million tons of commodities annually on average while transiting this stretch of the Ohio River.

The Olmsted Locks and Dam project offers approximately $640 million in annual benefits to the nation. Even at the estimated completion cost of $2.77 billion, the project will pay for itself in a few short years.
Capt. Jeremiah Nichols has been the project engineer on site for the past two years.  During which time he has helped lead through flooding events, construction execution and management of the site.

When asked how this event will dovetail with history, “The Olmsted Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be a great event,” Nichols said. “It will pay tribute to all the hard work invested in Olmsted’s construction over the last 30 years.”

The Olmsted Ribbon Cutting will happen August 29, 2018 at 10 a.m. CDT.