Budget cuts hit Nickajack and Guntersville lock hours

The Nickajack and Guntersville locks on the Tennessee River and the Barkley Lock on the Cumberland River will quit operating around the clock next year as part of the spending cuts in the budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. To help maintain funds for lock maintenance work, the corps said it will not operate the two locks on the Tennessee River from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily, starting Jan. 7.

Lee Roberts, a spokesman for the corps, said such overnight cutbacks in lock operations "have previously been successfully implemented with little disturbance to navigation traffic."

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