At Southland, we take pride in the projects that demand precision, patience, and performance under pressure. Our American Bridge Company team is currently delivering exactly that at the Wolf Creek Dam project in Jamestown, KY. Our team onsite is in the middle of a multi-year effort to replace all ten spillway gates and the machinery that drives them. The dam is not only a significant source of renewable energy for the area, but also serves as a popular recreation area for the residents, providing a space for fishing, kayaking, and swimming in Lake Cumberland, which is formed by the dam.

This project is no easy feat. Each gate installation phase requires our crews to prove that the newly installed gates and machinery are fully operational before moving on to the next unit. That means every weld, every lift, and every connection has to be executed with extreme precision.

The process starts with fabrication and delivery. Gates arrive onsite, are field welded, and only then can installation begin with our team ensuring it is timed carefully with outage schedules. Our first season tackled two gates: cutting out and scrapping the existing structures, then sliding in the massive replacements on sleds, jacking them into place, and tying them into the dam’s infrastructure. From there, the team rigorously tested functionality before turning the page to the next units.

This step-by-step approach will continue through all ten gates, with assembly and installation spread across multiple outage periods. The project is slated to wrap up during the 2028 outage season, with final demobilization scheduled for spring 2029.

This project will be long and strenuous, but our American Bridge team is up for the challenge. The Wolf Creek Dam is critical infrastructure, and we’re proud to be entrusted with ensuring it continues to serve safely and reliably for decades to come.