Barges Stuck On The Ohio River

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Orange and Brown
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Barges Stuck On The Ohio River

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Barges Stuck On The Ohio River
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 9:09 PM
By Stephanie Mennecke


GREENUP, Ky — On Wednesday, at least 25 barges were at a standstill on the Ohio River.
The boaters feel the supplies they're now carrying are literally stuck on the river.

The problem began January 27 when a gate broke while a barge tried to pass through it, ONN's Stephanie Mennecke reported.

"The project closed immediately following the incident," said Mike Keathley, Project Manager for Greenup Locks and Dam.

Days later, the corps of engineers opened a back-up route as a temporary solution.

"This route allowed us to operate and pass some tows at a reduced efficiency," said Keathley.

Usually, a full barge could pass through the main chamber in 45 minutes. However, the backup chamber takes as long as four hours to pass through, Mennecke reported.

A lot of shipments that work their way up and down this river are time sensitive. This means as the river continues to back up with more boats, officials have to prioritize what can and should get through regardless of their arrival time.

"It's caused the shipping companies to seek alternate modes of shipping those commodities," said Keathley.

The crane needed to fix the lock is expected next week and the fix won't be cheap.

"Just the personnel that will be involved with lifting the gate, repairing the gate and re-installing that gate over a six to eight week period will be several million dollars," said Keathley.

The Greenup Locks and Dam is the seventh busiest location in the country.

Last year alone ships moved more than 60 million tons of supplies in the Ohio River.


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