Innovative Guide Wall Completed At Wilson Lock

The interim guide wall was completed and the main navigational chamber reopened the evening of July 24 at Wilson Lock and Dam at Tennessee River Mile 259.4 near Florence, Ala.

The guide wall, created from three interlocking ocean-going barges spudded down into the river bottom, is 585 feet long and designed to last five to 10 years, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) spokesman Adam May said. It replaces a floating guide wall that sank as remnants of Hurricane Ida passed through the region August 31, 2021. Vessel Repair of Port Arthur, Texas, contracted with TVA to build the barges, which were installed by Alberici.

Ten of the 12 spuds were engaged to keep the interim wall in place, May said. As expected, two of the spuds were blocked by the sunken guide wall, which remains on the river bottom. The other spuds straddle it.

The guide wall is designed to allow tows to precisely line up to enter the lock, improving safety and greatly decreasing the possibility of a tow accidentally hitting the dam. The lockmaster may also have tows tie off to the guide wall while locking through multiple cuts.

Wilson Lock’s main chamber opened to navigation July 2 after being closed for emergency gate repairs since September 25. After the queue was cleared, the lock then closed again July 14 to allow installation of the interim guide wall. During both closures, the auxiliary lock remained open to navigation traffic.

More than 11 million tons of goods pass through Wilson Lock each year, according to TVA.

Featured image caption: Crews place a spud into three interlocking ocean-going barges that form the new interim guide wall at Wilson Lock and Dam on the Tennessee River near Florence, Ala. With the work complete, the main lock chamber has reopened. (Photo courtesy of the Tennessee Valley Authority)