Vicksburg District Begins Repairs On Miter Gate Anchorage At Red River Lock 1

The lockmaster at Lindy C. Boggs Lock and Dam, also known as Lock 1, on the Red River near Marksville, La., discovered a crack in the miter gate anchorage on the lower land-side gate on September 28. Shortly thereafter, lock personnel took action to lower the water level in the lock to reduce pressure on the gate, and the U.S. Coast Guard announced the closure of the lock to navigation, pending repairs.

In the days that followed, Vicksburg Engineer District personnel have developed and executed a temporary repair to support the gate, minimize further damage and allow navigation to resume. In a situation report from the evening of October 8, the district announced the completion of interim repairs, with the lock to reopen the following morning.

“Today, there were a total of six tows and five lockages, five downstream and one upstream,” the district said in an October 9 situation report. “The interim repairs are working as designed.”

The district emphasized that lockages between the October 9 reopening and the beginning of the permanent repair the following Monday would be conducted with care, with engineers on hand to monitor for further damage.

“Over the next seven days, we will work at minimizing the number of lockages by coordinating upstream and downstream movements as much as possible,” the district said. “Please understand, we are moving with extreme caution as to not exacerbate the situation.”

The Corps installed additional gauges mid-week to further monitor strain on the anchorage, with lockages resuming October 12.

Permanent Repairs

Currently, the district plans to begin permanent repairs at the lock on October 16. Vicksburg District officials said they expect concrete removal at the miter gate anchorage to take about a week, with welding taking an additional three to four days. Officials said that’s the best case scenario. A more involved repair could take four to six weeks, they said.

Red River Valley Association Executive Director Emily Mott told waterway stakeholders she’s been pleased with the close coordination and communication at all levels as Corps officials plan and execute the repair.

“There are a lot of people up there working really hard and going above and beyond the call of duty,” she said.