# River Information



## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

Not sure if anyone knew this but the McAlpine locks in Louisville are closed for a minimum of three weeks, a barge slammed into the main gates at the entrance to the locks a week back, so they are replacing both of the gates which weigh 250 tons each, and are trying to patch a hole in the wall where the corner of the barge ripped a rather large hole into it, they are working 24/7 to get it fixed, there are about 40 tugs staged above and below the locks right now down there, Larry and I are leaving Friday for Paducah fishing a pro tournament, I'll take some pictures down there if I can find a place to pull off and shoot, somebody musta really been cooking coming into the locks, I'll bet the lockmaster was screaming his head off on channel 13, the barge ended up only 50 yards from the discharge gates, boy that would have been a rollercoaster ride if he would have punched through as I think there is a 24 foot drop from the upper to the lower part of the river, would have been like the log ride at Kings Island only on a bigger scale   ....Doc


----------



## TritonBill (Apr 9, 2004)

Man that would have been interesting to see all that unfold! Thanks for sharing that story with us. Has there ever been a barge that somehow pushed through the discharge gates? 

Good luck at your tourney down there!


----------



## rockbass (Apr 16, 2004)

Yeah that would have really been something to see! 




Good luck at the pro tourney! Post the results for us!


----------



## crappiebub (Apr 5, 2004)

I read a different story on Army Corp Site. They found cracks from meatal fatigue in the existing lock and needed time to weld and replate the doors. The new locks they are building aren't completed yet. It's scheduled to reopen Aug. 22. Here are the links. Have been watching this since spring when they started talking about it. Some of the mills and companies around here have been getting extra materials to keep going. Unless something happened since they closed for this repair I hadn't heard. 
http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/pa/article.asp?id=79
http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/


----------



## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

This was relayed from a guy that lives down there, I thought the story was kind of neat, with as many close calls as we have seen I don't doubt it could happen, that dam lays in the turn of the river. The falls of Ohio are just on the other side of the locks, the gates are huge as we saw them on the barge staged at the mouth of the dam just a couple of weeks ago.Thanks for the link Bob...........Doc


----------



## crappiebub (Apr 5, 2004)

His is a better story than the Corps.   
Like I said above, something could have happened after their reports.
Good luck at the Tourney.
Bob


----------



## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

Good luck on the tourny & hope to see some pictures too.


----------



## crappiebub (Apr 5, 2004)

McAlpine Lock will reopen to traffic at 7 a.m. on Friday, August 20. According to progress, the lock could open earlier. The lock was originally scheduled to be closed through August 22. 
http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/


----------

