Safety drives progress at Kentucky Lock Addition Project
GRAND RIVERS, Ky. (Oct. 5, 2026) – Thalle Construction Company, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, celebrated a historic safety milestone last week, surpassing 3 million labor hours without a lost-time accident during construction of the new, larger navigation lock on the Tennessee River.
USACE leadership recognized the remarkable achievement at the Kentucky Lock Addition Project during a special contractor-hosted jobsite safety standdown, which included an appreciation luncheon Sept. 30, thanking the craft workforce for their relentless commitment to safety while delivering a project of national significance.
During the event, Pittsburgh District acting commander Lt. Col. Albert Butler (since promoted to colonel) and Nashville District Commander Lt. Col. Guillermo Guandique addressed the workforce and resident office teams. Both leaders emphasized that maintaining this world-class safety posture is directly linked to operational readiness, preventing project delays, and ensuring the timely delivery of vital inland waterways infrastructure.
“Delivering a safe and quality project for the American people is huge,” Butler said. “You all are making an impact on our nation through your disciplined efforts. Doing this safely and efficiently is amazing.”
About the construction project
This construction and safety management is provided through a joint regional partnership between Pittsburgh and Nashville Districts. Alongside contractor Thalle Construction Company, they are building a new 1,200-foot by 110-foot navigation lock chamber 22 miles upstream from the Tennessee River’s confluence with the lower Ohio River. This massive, highly complex undertaking requires extensive heavy equipment operations and overhead conveyor systems to continuously place concrete.
Employees form foundation of safety milestone
Bill Ryan, Tully Group vice president of Risk Management, the parent company of Thalle Construction Company, acknowledged the complexity of the operation and commended the project's leadership team, emphasizing that their active care for the workforce is the foundation of this safety milestone.
“Every one of you come in every day committed to safety. I commend each and every one of you,” Ryan said.
Steve Kohler, Thalle Construction president and chief operating officer, expressed how impressed he is about the safety milestone, and said that 3 million hours are considerable and very meaningful because injuries can have huge impacts on the construction team and the project.
“Never have I seen anything like this from a safety perspective,” Kohler said. “I want to say thank you to the safety professionals that are out here that set a standard and a culture. Something like this doesn’t happen by chance or by accident. It’s one decision at a time. It’s one shift at a time. It’s a tremendous achievement and I thank you for it.”
Concrete placement progressing
Wendy Shaw, project manager with the Pittsburgh District, noted that the navigation lock project involves constructing 51 monoliths and placement of an estimated 375,000 cubic yards of concrete to complete the lock chamber. This is enough concrete to fill up more than 114 Olympic swimming pools.
As of September 2026, Thalle Construction Company has safely placed approximately 85% of the project's concrete, Shaw noted. To date, the contractor has completed 1,036 placements totaling 316,000 cubic yards of contracted concrete. There are 199 remaining placements left to complete, which will require an additional 58,900 cubic yards of concrete.
Positive safety practices
Jeremiah Manning, resident engineer for the Kentucky Lock Addition Project, emphasized that reaching this safety milestone is highly significant. Lost-time mishaps do not just impact safety — they directly delay critical construction timelines.
The USACE safety team drives continuous improvement through structured planning and active risk mitigation. Work plans are required for all construction activities to ensure systematic oversight. In addition, activity hazard analysis fully incorporates every step of production planning to identify and mitigate risk.
“The value of a high performing safety culture is that it supports project delivery and protects the work force, avoiding potential schedule interruptions from significant mishaps” Manning explained.
Shared commitment and culture
Reaching 3 million man hours without lost time accidents is the result of a shared, top-down and bottom-up commitment to safety:
- Contractor leadership: The contractor has embraced a strong focus on delivery, supported by highly competent safety professionals.
- Craft labor force: The craft labor force has fully bought into the safety culture and mindset, actively safeguarding themselves and their peers on-site.
Every employee from both day and night shifts received a meal and a medal from Thalle Construction Company in appreciation of their combined efforts that resulted in this incredible safety milestone.
USACE safety team recognized
The USACE safety team at the Kentucky Lock Addition Project also received the 2026 Nashville District Engineering and Construction Division Health and Safety Award.
The purpose of the award is to recognize an individual’s or team’s commitment to enhancing capabilities and teamwork by making a substantial and positive contribution to improving the health, safety, and welfare of employees working on Corps projects or activities.
Joined by Colonels Butler and Guandique, Martin Regner, Nashville District Engineering and Construction Division chief, presented the award Sept. 30 at the resident engineer’s office.
The team at this construction project contributed to the safety achievement and demonstrated remarkable resilience following the tragic loss of Lead Safety Specialist Chris Byrne, who passed away but shares in this recognition.
Team members Chris Snyder, Bryan Hovekamp, Mike Wilkinson, and Paul Burress united to maintain operational continuity and champion a proactive, risk-focused culture. Through insightful near-miss data analysis and targeted mentorship, the team empowered their contractor partners to overhaul critical hazardous energy controls, integrate disciplined housekeeping standards, and set an inspiring benchmark for enterprise safety excellence.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website athttps://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/About/Districts/Nashville-District/, on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorpsand on X (formerly Twitter) athttp://www.x.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities athttps://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.
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