Community members received an overview of the Phase 2 Dam Safety Modification Project at Rough River Dam during an update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District.
Project Manager Steve Durrett said officials awarded a $320 million base and option contract to Thalle-Bauer LLC of North Carolina. He said the total project cost is expected to reach $655 million upon completion. Crews will build a new control tower and stilling basin, along with a connecting tunnel on the opposite side of the reservoir. After the new tower becomes operational, workers will construct a cutoff wall across the crest of the dam at depths ranging from 75 to 180 feet. In the final phase, crews will restore Highway 79 to the top of the dam.
Federal budget allocations will fund the six- to eight-year project in incremental amounts each year. Durrett said current restrictions on the water pool and recreational vehicles will stay in place throughout construction. The summer pool level remains at 490 feet, and officials plan to maintain current water level operations unless extreme conditions require adjustments.
As construction begins this summer, crews will carry out blasting activities and notify affected property owners in advance. Officials said the dam still holds a safety rating of 2, even after detecting shifts in measurements from about 100 piezometers and other seismic monitoring equipment that have prompted closer attention. They emphasized that the dam remains safe for the communities it serves.
Drivers should expect minor traffic disruptions, including rolling roadblocks. Separate bridge work over the spillway by the state transportation cabinet will reduce traffic to one lane. Crews plan to begin work in March and complete the project in 2034.
The remediation effort began in 2012 after crews detected seepage around the foundation and tunnel of the dam, which was completed in 1961. The project created the 5,100-acre lake that provides flood control for the Green and Ohio River basins.
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