Corps extends navigation season due to warmer weather

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is extending the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River a few extra days due to the continued warmer weather.

The Corps is now scheduled to close Lock and Dam 9, near Lynxville, Wisconsin, for winter maintenance Dec. 9, at 10 a.m. The lock was originally scheduled to close Dec. 7.  

After discussing the request with the River Industry Action Committee, the Corps agreed to change the date of the lock closure. The navigation industry indicated the extended days will allow them more time to ship the corn grown this summer in the Upper Midwest. 

The Mississippi River lock will be dewatered this winter to perform the work. Scheduled maintenance includes repairing concrete; repairing, sandblasting and painting the miter gates; and replacing the bubbler system. Due to ongoing construction at the site, the area will be off limits to unauthorized personnel. 

This winter rehabilitation work is scheduled approximately every 15 to 20 years on each St. Paul District lock. Lock 9 was last dewatered in 1993. The lock is now scheduled to reopen March 17, 2016. 

Due to the lock closure, the Corps advises all navigation traffic to make necessary arrangements prior to Dec. 9. Once the lock is closed, there will be no lockages until it is reopened next spring. Businesses with urgent traffic during this time should call Bryan Peterson at (651) 290-5986.

The nearly 650 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2014 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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