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PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced that the auxiliary lock chambers at the New Cumberland Locks and Dam are closed due to deteriorating conditions.
The auxiliary chambers serve as back-ups to the main chambers at each facility.
The main chambers will remain open to traffic, but should the main chambers close for any reason; this could result in a total river closure, according to a release from the Army Corps of Engineers.
Work on the auxiliary chambers is not expected to be complete until spring 2016.
At New Cumberland, severe structural deterioration and widespread fatigue cracking of the upstream miter gates have resulted in not being able to properly close the gates and fill the chamber.
The Corps is working to remove sunken debris, evaluate the extent of the damage and determine the availability of the chamber.
Similar issues are resulting in the closure of the auxiliary locks at the Montgomery Locks and Dam near Monaca, Pa.
At Montgomery, an engineering analysis of the auxiliary lock chamber is ongoing. Recent dive inspections revealed significant damage and deterioration of the downstream miter sill that impacts structural stability of the miter gates.
The miter gates cannot be fully opened or closed at this time due to the extent of debris build-up in the lock chamber.
Dredging is being coordinated at this time and is required before final structural analysis and assessment can be completed.
During this closure, the Corps will continue to operate and maintain the main chambers to reduce the risk of an unscheduled maintenance closure.