The work, called dewatering, began on Aug. 10, when the Army Corps of Engineers pumped out millions of gallons of water from the lock for the 52-day work window. Meanwhile, barges, boaters and commercial vessels are traveling between the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers through the Barkley Canal and Kentucky Lock.
Over the course of a year, 23.6 million tons of agricultural products, sand, gravel, steel, coal, oil and fuel is floated through the lock to and from twenty states along the river system and the Gulf.
Before the chamber could be pumped dry, divers installed temporary barriers to block water from reaching the lock’s valves. After the barriers were in place, pumps removed the remaining water so maintenance crews can closely inspect the massive gates, valves, concrete, and other infrastructure to identify corrosion, worn steel, and other issues.
Workers also moved in heavy machinery and scaffolding to for the assessments and structural welding.
Once crews complete structural repairs and final inspections, they'll remove equipment, refill the lock chamber, and test gate cycling and valve operations under hydraulic pressure before reopening the site to commercial navigation Oct. 1.
(Photo: US Army Corps of Engineers)
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