(
Satellite)
This PDF file describes the construction of the new lock.
The
Kentucky Dam currently has a 110x600 foot lock. It is a bottleneck because 15-barge tows have to be split in half to go through a 600' lock. In fact, a Bing satellite image caught the upstream gates closing after the front part of a tow had been winched out of the lock. And you can see the rear part of the tow below the downstream gates waiting for its turn. You can also see that they have built the cofferdam and have begun excavation for the new 110x1200 foot lock.
A Google satellite image is more recent, and it shows that some of the walls of the new lock have been built. I believe there is just one barge in the lock in this image and that it hauls a liquid product. I have noticed before that liquid barges tend to be bigger than a normal materials barge.
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| 20141218 0029c+0+40 3:17:24pm |
The current lock is busy enough that we caught these two tows heading upstream as we drove over the dam to the Visitor Center. We were taking a picture of the
railroad bridge truss and probably did not notice the tows until later. Below is a photo I had already taken of three 1200' tows parked upstream. (There are two tows parked side by side on the right.)
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| +30+<I forgot> |
Looking further upstream on the Google satellite image, I see there are four tows parked waiting for that liquid-products barge to finish locking through. There are also four coal barges tied up closer to the shore.
Later, after I had parked in the Visitors Center parking lot and was walking around is when I noticed the two tows heading upstream. You can look at the 3:17 photo above and compare to this 3:22 photo to see how far the tows have moved in five minutes.
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| c+0+40 3:22:44pm |
As we left the dam, my wife took quite a few pictures from the US-62/641 bridge you see at the top of the above picture. I include the two yellow tower cranes that are helping to build the new lock. You can tell it is the same tow we saw in the previous pictures because of the two white barges in front. So 14 minutes later it is about to enter the lock. It took longer to cover the distance between the second and third photos than between the first and second photos because they slow down to less than a walk when they get close to the lock walls. The "blue bar" of the bridge's guard rail blocks seeing the joint between the second and third row of barges. It is obvious the tow has 15 barges, and it will have to be locked through in two segments.
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| 3:36:04pm |
Kentucky Lock
posted eight photos with the comment:
Local Photojournalist Robert Offenback shared a few of his pics from the movement and placement of the 1.3 million pound concrete shell on the downstream side of Kentucky Lock. The shell is the first of 10 that will make up the new lock wall and will be used as part of the coffer dam during construction of the new lock. Thanks Robert for sharing your photos with us.
What if tows hits this while locking upstream thru the lock ?
We have a helper boat in place to help them by it. It will be filled with concrete over the next couple weeks, then it will be solid and good to go.
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Jeff Jorde commented on Ben Stalvey's share of a post
I help build the Gantry barge |
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Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
The water below Kentucky Dam is up - probably 10-15 feet higher than usual - but that's not stopping a guy from fishing on this gray, unseasonably warm day in Jan., 1995. Meanwhile, up on the dam, a coal train is creeping across the dam. A mile or so to the rear of the train is BRT Transfer Terminal, where loaded coal trains dump their cargo into barges for shipment to power plants. The trains move through the unloading shed at a steady speed around 1 mph. The unloading shed itself is off the mainline, but the locomotives and empty cars go out on the Paducah & Louisville Railway (ex-IC) mainline. It may take 2-4 hours to unload a train, depending on the train's length and if there are any mechanical issues with the train and/or unloading machinery (and of course once a barge is loaded, it needs to be shuffled out of the way and an empty barge moved into position, ready to receive coal).
Leading today's train are IC SD40-2 6150 (ex-BN), SD40-2 6030, and SD20 2019. It's unknown what type of rod, reel, and line the gentleman was using (although it looks to be strong enough to pull a ship's anchor out of the water).
Jan., 1995, Cliff Downey photo.
Fred Dieter: TVA has moved the tracks from the dam to a bridge a few hundred yards down river. |
Jan 4, 2023: "KENTUCKY LOCK IS CLOSED until further notice due to electrical issues! This does not effect the operation of the Powerhouse or Spillways. They are operating normally." [Pickwick Lock
posted] Fortunately, the
Barkley Lock can be used as a detour by using the
Barkley Canal.]
Kentucky Lock
posted nine photos with the comment:
There are 6 tower cranes, 2 crawler cranes and 2 wheeled cranes doing the heavy lifting (literally) at the Kentucky Lock construction project. The tower cranes all have a 262.5-foot boom and can lift between 22 and 27 tons each.
Cranes are essential to the project as they are the hands that assemble the formwork, reinforcing bar, concrete and materials to safely construct the lock monoliths and gate structures.
3 of the tower cranes use a 270-foot long conveyer system with an "elbow" near the middle to support placement of the concrete in the elevated areas of the project saving time and money. These cranes span an area greater than 1,600-feet.
Nashville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters
Pickwick Lock shared with the comment: "Kentucky Lock Construction."
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