melvin price locks and dam

This is the newest and the largest of all the locks and dams on the Mississippi. Completed in 1994, it replaced an earlier, outdated lock/dam. The Melvin Price Lock is built below the confluence of the Illinois River and above the mouth of the Missouri River, and consequently it has more than $23 billion worth of goods like coal and grain move through it annually. It is lock and dam #26, part of a series of 29 locks and dams on the upper Mississippi that raise and lower boats from one water level to the next.It is a massive structure with a total length of 3/4 of a mile and it is located next to the National Great Rivers Museum. Through the museum's daily guided tours, you can take the elevator to the top of the lock and dam and watch as barges make their way up and down the Mississippi River. Tours are given yearlong at 10 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m., depending on weather. Anyone with height issues should know that the tours take you to an open area very high above the river, and that it can be windy.The experience is truly educational, unique and overall fascinating. And, it is free!