Corps Fixes Louisville Lock, Reopens Ohio River Four Days Early
The Corps of Engineers has completed repairs of a lock on the Ohio River and reopened the river after a 10-day shutdown--four days earlier than scheduled. The Corps said the McAlpine Lock at Louisville was reopened at 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 19. The Corps had envisioned allowing traffic to move again in the morning of Aug. 23. Nine waiting tows headed north and seven southbound passed through the lock when work was completed. The line of tows had cleared the lock by 7 a.m. on Aug. 20, the Corps' Louisville District reported.
The closure of the river was caused by cracks in one of the lock's miter gates, detected by inspections done by divers. The Corps said the gate could have failed if it had not been fixed. Cost of the repairs was "$1 million plus," the Corps says.