The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $10.5 million dollar contract to a Vancouver company to increase navigation lock reliability and safety at The Dalles Lock and Dam.  Northbank Civil and Marine will fabricate and install a new upstream navigation lock gate and new top hinges and anchor points on the downstream gate.  The contract also contains options for control systems upgrades and additional work on the downstream gate.  The project will reduce the risk of gate failure at the lock, which annually supports transit of nine million tons of cargo worth three billion dollars, including about 40 percent of the nation’s wheat.  The upstream gate and control systems are original equipment from when the dam was built in 1957.  A 14-week closure of those locks is scheduled to start December 12.