How did we make the floating pieces sink in the right place?
Prior to set-down, each dam segment had positioning winches and other important equipment attached to it at the Outfitting Dock at Duquesne. In addition, at the Braddock Locks and Dam, mooring lines were connected to fixed anchor piles located in various positions in the river. These fixed anchor piles are located very close to the new dam’s final set-down location. Also, many of the exact survey points were established and re-verified at this time, along with checks of the accuracy and preparedness of the survey equipment. Once all of this initial preparation work was finished, the contractor ensured that weather and river forecasts were favorable. When the forecasts were favorable, two towboats towed the dam segment downstream from the Outfitting Dock at Duquesne to the Braddock Locks and Dam. When the dam segment reached Braddock, the two towboats carefully positioned the segment at a predetermined location in close proximity to the final set-down area. Then the mooring lines from t
