Corps Planning Periodic Closures For Old River Lock

The New Orleans Engineer District is tentatively planning a closure at Old River Lock from April 5 until April 18, with the lock closed to navigation periodically up to four days at a time. The closure is needed for the Corps to conduct operational load tests on newly installed emergency bulkhead lowering carriage machinery.

Load testing will require multiple closures, with four days the maximum estimated duration. Lock personnel will open the lock to navigation at the conclusion of each load test cycle in order to clear the queue.

“Old River Lock personnel will do all that is possible to minimize the impacts to the navigation industry,” the Corps stated in a navigation bulletin. “The load tests must be performed to assure that the new emergency bulkhead lowering carriage machinery is fully operational in the event of an actual operational emergency.”

During periodic openings at the lock, mariners are asked to transit the lock at the slowest safe speed to minimize wake. For more information, contact Anthony Lindsly, Old River Lock master, at 225-492-3333 or Russell Beauvais, operations manager for the New Orleans District, at 225-492-2169.

Details on the planned closure are available in Navigation Bulletin 21-42, published March 24.