Work on the Chickamauga Lock has been halted for lack of funding.The Chickamauga Lock will reopen by next week after repairs are made to the upper gate of the 74-year-old lock.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District announced today that the lock could handle barge and recreational boats again as early as next Thursday - 10 days after the Corps ordered the lock closed because of safety concerns. Initially, engineers estimated the lock could be shut down for up to three weeks, but after inspections of the upper gate anchorage, the Corps developed a repair plan Friday that will leave the lock shut down only about half as long as what was originally forecast
Chickamauga Lock, which is suffering from problems with "concrete growth" in its chamber walls, closed on Monday after a routine inspection revealed a crack in the anchorage of the upper gate.
Lt. Col. John Hudson, commander of the Nashville District, was onsite during the initial evaluation on Thursday and was pleased with the results of the inspection and the path forward.
"The Corps was able to complete the inspection today and the results are good news," Hudson said in a statement today. "I am glad the problem was not as extensive as originally thought, and we believe we will be able to complete repairs this coming week and reopen Chickamauga Lock before next weekend."
During the inspection over the last two days, a team of Corps and TVA engineers exposed and measured the crack on the Upper Gate and worked closely together to develop the repair plan.
Questions about the status of the closure should be addressed to the Navigation Branch at 615-736-5607 or the Chickamauga lockmaster at 423-875-6230.
Read more in tomorrow's Times Free Press