Last month, the lock chambers at McAlpine Locks and Dam (Ohio River mile 606.8) in Louisville, Kentucky, were temporarily closed to traffic due to a navigation accident, which occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m., March 8.
A tow, transporting 15 barges, was traveling upbound on the Ohio River through McAlpine and as it was making its way out of the canal, 10 of the barges broke loose. Eight of them ended up resting against the Louisville and Indiana Railroad bridge pier, and two other barges loaded with coal ended up in the tainter gate bays, pinned against the dam piers and baffle blocks at the lower dam site.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, navigation industry and the towing company during the subsequent recovery efforts.
Six of the 10 barges were recovered the next day allowing navigation traffic to resume.
“Recovery efforts took a little longer than we originally anticipated due to high water,” said Brad Stout, USACE Louisville District Locks and Dam Operations manager. “During that time, the McAlpine upper gauge remained above 15 feet, above the elevation of the fixed weir, causing concerns with the water current near the barges.”
The following week, two of the barges that had been partially submerged near the shoreline on the Indiana side of Shippingport Island were recovered. One of the two remaining barges that was against the lower dam site flushed through the dam gate March 12. That barge then sunk about 400 feet below the lower dam site, but the remaining barge stayed pinned for approximately 26 days.
The last pinned barge flushed through the dam’s gate bay April 4, and was pulled over to the riverbank and retrieved shortly after.
Of the original 10 barges that broke loose, only the submerged barge remains below the lower dam site.
“Our entire team has worked very hard over the last month during these recovery efforts,” Stout said. “As soon as the river levels recede and allow for optimal working conditions, salvage efforts will resume. The one barge that does remain isn’t causing impacts to navigation.”
The motor vessel involved in the accident was owned and operated by Imperial River Transport LLC., and the barges are owned by Crounse Corporation. There has been no damage reported to the McAlpine Locks and Dam facility.