Coffeeville Lock On Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway Closes For Emergency Repairs

The Mobile Engineer District announced April 14 the emergency closure of Coffeeville Lock at Mile 116.6 of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway (BWT) due to damage to the lower miter gate’s operating machinery, which rendered the lower gate inoperable.

Chad Brumelow with the BWT/Alabama-Coosa Project Management Office said the closure was triggered by a crack in the reaction roller assembly for the lower miter gate.

“It wasn’t any kind of one incident,” Brumelow said. “This was a crack in a reaction roller assembly, so more than likely it’s long-term fatigue that caused the cracking.”

Brumelow said the lock, which is the lowermost lock on the system, will likely be closed four to five days, with a targeted reopening of April 19.

“That’s about as detailed as we can put that now,” he said. “We just don’t know how long it will take to chip out concrete around this assembly to get it replaced.”

The Mobile District hosted a conference call for stakeholders of the waterway April 16 to provide an update to repairs at Coffeeville.

Coffeeville Lock, originally called Jackson Lock and Dam, opened to navigation in 1960.