Posted: Monday, October 12, 2009
The DALLES, OR - Boat traffic on the Columbia River should be moving again soon. Officials with the Army Corp of Engineers said that they expect repairs to The Dalles navigation lock to completed by this evening. That’s just shy of two weeks since engineers closed the lock after noticing the gates were not closing properly. It means shipments of grain, petroleum and wood products can once again flow up and down the river. Army Corp spokeswoman Diana Fredlund says she doesn’t know who will be the first one through.
Fredlund: “That we’re leaving up to the shipping industry to decide. We will open the door and welcome them in, but they have to decide who’s first.”
Major shipping companies temporarily laid off barge crews while they waited for the lock repair to be completed. The 13-day shutdown pales in comparison to a planned three-month shutdown starting in December of 2010. (Chris Lehman)
Copyright 2009 OPB