“These inspection periods are key to catching damages or operational issues sooner rather than later to minimize downtime and preventing the greater costs that come from unscheduled repairs,” said USACE project manager Ross Foster. 

U.S. Army Corps technicians found the damage to a lower guide wheel July 25, and closed the lock to river traffic. Engineers and operations staff initiated limited lockages on July 26 in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard. “At this point, we’re unsure of what caused the damage to the guide wheel, but our main focus will be getting the lock back into full service,” said Col. Mike Helton