According to today's USDA Grain and Transportation Report, on August 25, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced the Kentucky Lock will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. until September 26 to repair damage to one of the empty valves on the lock.
During the hours of closure, vessels are encouraged to use the Barkley Lock and Dam to avoid delays. The lock has two emptying valves, but emptying the lock takes twice as long (30 minutes versus 15 minutes) with one of the valves out of service.
The current average delay at the lock is 12 hours. Between 2016 and 2020 grain shipments originating on or moving through this portion of the Tennessee River ranged between 1.0 and 1.4million tons.