Late Saturday evening, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a critical notice — indicating that the Kentucky Lock at Tennessee River Mile 22.4 will be closed for an indeterminate amount of time following a barge sinking in its lock chamber.
Officials indicated through social media that everyone related to the incident is deemed safe and accounted for, and that all river traffic will be re-routed through Barkley Lock until further notice. Barkley Lock and Barkley Canal connect the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.
A follow-on notice will be issued once more information becomes available. All questions and concerns about the impediment should be directed to Kentucky Lock at (270) 362-4226, or by email at chief.public-affairs@usace.army.mil.
The Water Resources Development Act of 1996 authorized an additional lock project, in hopes of adding a new 1,200-foot lock to the already existing 600-footer. Underfunded until 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got its chance to considerably ramp up construction in the summer of 2021. Other major project features included a new two-lane bridge for U.S. Hwy. 62 and a single-track bridge for the P&L Railway, which were completed by American Bridge in 2012.
First constructed in 1945 following World War II, the Kentucky Lock serves as the gateway for 12 locks located upstream on both the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. Goods to and from 20 states pass through both Kentucky and Barkley locks with great regularity. According to the Tennessee River Valley Association, this system received anywhere between 35 and 43 million tons of cargo from 1997 through 2008, and those weights were projected to crest well above 50 million after 2020.
