Closure Set For Kentucky Lock Repairs

Kentucky Lock, Tennessee River Mile 22.4, near Grand Rivers, Ky., will be closed to all navigation from 6 a.m. October 13 to 6 p.m. October 20 to make temporary repairs to the floating guard wall.

Brian Mangrum, chief of the Nashville Engineer District’s technical support branch, made the announcement in a notice to navigation interests October 5.

The notice added that Barkley Lock, at Cumberland River Mille 30.6, will be available to pass traffic via the Barkley Canal. Barkley Lock reopened September 30 after a closure to address miter gate repairs.

In a call to industry September 29, the Nashville District reported that the Corps and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) were planning on the temporary repairs at Kentucky Lock to minimize the use of a helper boat. The Corps was also working with TVA to procure materials and have them delivered.

Once the temporary repairs are complete, Kentucky Lock is expected to reopen without the use of a helper boat. Operations at the lock will continue until more permanent repairs can be performed, which will require coordination with contractors and the regional repair fleet.

Patrick DiNicola, chief of the maintenance section for the district, said previously that the Corps had given advance notice to contractors to help cut down on the timeline needed to schedule repairs.

The lock was damaged September 1 when a commercial tow carrying approximately 22,000 tons of crushed stone struck the floating guard wall. The Nashville District announced September 8 that an assist boat, the mv. Emma Kate, was being used to help commercial tows navigate the lock. That had allowed downbound lock transits to resume after having been restricted to upbound tows only. The damage is concentrated on the downstream end of the wall next to the lock monoliths and the machinery that ties into the wall, DiNicola said.