Some new equipment will help the Army Corps of Engineers do maintenance work along the upper Mississippi River. Thursday afternoon in Davenport, it'll hold a christening ceremony for the new heavy-lift crane barge, named the "Quad Cities."
Spokeswoman Sam Heilig says the old heavy-lift crane barge could lift up to 350 tons, while the Quad Cities can lift up to 500 tons. It'll be the largest of its kind on the Mississippi River.
"It will have the ability to perform maintenance and upkeep on lock and dam structures all along the Mississippi River. Even though it's located here in the Rock Island District, it's really a regional asset that'll help even beyond that area."
It'll be based at the Corps of Engineers project office at Lock and Dam 14 in LeClaire. Heilig says with a crew of ten, it'll mainly work in Corps' Rock Island District, which stretches for 314 miles along the Mississippi River, but will be available for other districts to use.
Leading the christening ceremony will be the District Commander, Colonel Steven Sattinger, with representatives from Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline. Heilig says since the crane is the main feature of the new, heavy-lift barge, the bottle of champaign will be broken against it, instead of the front of the barge.
The ceremony begins at 4 pm, with tours available today (thurs) from 9 am until 2 pm, and after the ceremony until 6 pm, plus Friday from 9 to 4.
