When the Markland Locks had a catastrophic failure last September 27, 2009, the Waterways Council, Inc. was the first to say "I told you so." And they're right that the "fix-as-fail" approach to maintaining the our lock and dam structures is short-sighted. The failure occured on the miter gate at Markland Locks and Dam on the Ohio River near Cincinnati, requiring the main, 1,200-ft lock chamber to close, leaving only the 600-ft auxiliary chamber to accommodate traffic until the repair is completed. As the WCI said, repairs could take 90 days or longer to complete. Will this have any positive impact on funding inland waterways infrastructure?
Tomorrow, the Jeffersonville Port Director, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will give special briefings at the public ports commission meeting, providing an update on the status of the Markland Locks and the repair effort.
Ports of Indiana Commission Meeting:
11 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009
Jeffersonville City Hall, 500 Quartermaster Court
Information: (317) 435-1532
Markland Locks & Dam
Type Tainter gate
Length 1,395 feet
Upper Pool 455 feet
Lower Pool 420 feet
Number of Gates 12
Height of Gates 42 feet
Width of Gates 100 feet
Main Lock 110 ft x 1,200 ft
Auxilliary Lock 110m ft x 600 ft
(Photo: A 2007 photo of a de-watered lock chamber at Markland Lock and Dam on the Ohio River showing one of the massive gate leafs, courtesy USACE)