Westwood Celebrates Opening of Locks System
Over the course of 15 years, Westwood's Public Infrastructure team has been working closely with the Fox River Navigational System Authority providing engineering oversight for restoration and maintenance of the 17 locks along the Fox River, from Green Bay to Lake Winnebago, bringing them back into operation. The last major portion of the lock system recently opened which included five locks in Kaukauna. It is the only fully restored, hand operated lock system in the nation.
This project is unique because it is about more than replacing the old parts with new parts. All the locks have been placed on the National and State Register of Historic Places, and as such, they need to be restored back to their original state. The locks’ gates are constructed of horizontal wood timbers and the walls of stacked stone masonry, quarried stone, and reinforced concrete.
Tim Bolwerk, Westwood's Public Infrastructure team Project Manager, and owner’s representative on this project worked on the inspection and restoration of the walls; Bob Givens, Westwood's Public Infrastructure team Project Manager, provided dam inspection studies and restoration design as required by regulatory agencies; and Brian Wayner, Environmental Manager, provided the environmental work.
In addition to restoration of the locks, Westwood's Public Infrastructure team architects also provided services for repairs to the exterior of eight lock-tender houses originally constructed between 1892 and 1927.
