Friday, March 29

As Delays Pile Up, An Aging, Heavily-Used Ohio River Lock and Dam Turn Into “A Ticking Time Bomb”

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You may want to rethink any plans to cruise down the Ohio River any time soon after reading this. Lock and Dam 52, in a corner of southern Illinois near the mouth of the Ohio River, get more traffic than any other spot on the inland waterway. Built in 1929, the 600-foot chamber is desperately in need of repairs; the lock walls are cracking and sagging, the hydraulic pipes are paper thin, the seals are leaking and metal is rusting. The average delay this fall was between 15 and 20 hours. The lockmaster says the only thing keeping it going is “bubble gum and duct tape.” One of the largest tug operators calls it “a ticking time bomb.” And it’s dangerous. Last year a family of six drove a pleasure boat down the spillway; four died. Meanwhile, a new dam that’s been under construction for several decades is nowhere near completion and is already billions of dollars over budget. Read the full story here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/business/economy/desperately-plugging-holes-in-an-87-year-old-dam.html?ref=business

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