The Dalles Lock Set to Open After Emergency Repairs
The Dalles Lock and Dam navigation lock will return to service March 31 at 6:30 AM. The locks were originally set to reopen on the 21st but ten additional days of repairs became necessary due to the discovery of cracking in the downstream miter gate during annual inspections by engineers. Technicians are currently finalizing repairs and the return to service will be 36 hours earlier than officials initially predicted upon discovery of the cracking. The Corps will hold its final virtual repair and outage status update, Monday, March 29 at 2:30 p.m.
“We’re grateful we identified this issue now, as opposed to a different part of the year where closing the lock would have a larger impact on river traffic,” said Ross Foster, Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager.
The Dalles navigation lock, completed in 1957, is 650 feet long and is 86 feet wide. On an average day, around six commercial vessels pass through the lock.
“We understand the critical importance these locks have on commerce moving along the Columbia River,” said Kevin Brice, Portland District deputy district engineer. “We’re going to do everything we can to reopen the locks to river traffic as soon as possible. The importance of this vital transportation corridor is not lost on us and our main goal is to minimize impacts on river users.”
According to a US Army Corps of Engineers press release the Columbia River is the number one U.S. export gateway for wheat and barley, the number two U.S. export gateway for corn and soy, and the number one U.S. export gateway for West Coast mineral bulk. The Columbia River system is also a national leader for wood exports and auto imports and exports.
As far as tourism dollars go, approximately 15,000 passengers a year go through on cruise ships, which accounts for $15 to 20 million in revenue for local economies said the press release. Portland District locks on the Columbia River pass 10 million of the 50.5 million tons of commerce shipped annually in the nation.
Pictured: Aerial imagery taken March 15 offers a view from above The Dalles Dam navigation lock, where technicians found cracking in the downstream miter gate during inspections.
