WARSAW, Ky. — The Army Corps of Engineers is working to reopen the Markland Locks and Dam after flooding on the Ohio River forced its closure, causing economic impacts on river commerce.
Located halfway between Cincinnati and Louisville, the Markland Locks have been filled with debris following a week of high water, preventing vessels and barges from passing through this critical navigation point.
"Until that drift is cleaned out of the sector gear pits, and to where it's safe to be able to pull back those gates, then we'll be closed," said Gary Birge, Operations Manager at Markland Locks and Dam.
Birge said that re-opening could happen as early as late Friday or early Saturday.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a full one-week closure of the dam translates to approximately $5 million in lost transportation savings. The locks have been closed since Sunday.
Shutting down locks creates a significant economic impact.
One barge can carry the equivalent of 70 semi-trucks on the highway. A fully loaded 15-barge tow can carry the same material as 1,050 semi-trucks, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Between 2019 and 2023, over 187 million tons of goods worth about $50 billion passed through the Markland Locks and Dam. The main shipments by percent of total tonnage were coal (26%), aggregates (23%), and petroleum (16%), along with millions of tons of chemicals, grains, steel, minerals, and machinery. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the shipments came from 16.
On average, 12-15 vessels typically go through the lock on a given day.
"When you have to shut down the river, you're shutting down a tremendous amount of commerce moving at any one time," explained Eric Thomas, General Manager of Benchmark River & Rail Terminals and head of the Central Ohio River Business Trade Association.
Thomas' business on River Road handles mainly farm fertilizer. While they missed a few barge deliveries due to the closure, inventory in storage tanks has kept operations moving.
"We've got enough inventory to sustain a couple of weeks closure, we're probably going to be okay. And I think that's probably the case for most people," Thomas said.
Hear more about how the flooding has impacted commerce below:
The water was the highest he’d seen at his River Road facility since the flood in 1997. He was fortunate it did not impact most trucking operations.
“We've got some barges that are held up that are on their way. They'll be here this weekend. We'll get to them, and we'll get back on schedule here,” Thomas said. “So literally, the flood gates are open and traffic will start resuming normally again.”
The water at Markland typically pools between 12 and 13 feet, but on Friday morning, the upper gauge reached 19 feet. Crews are now focused on cleanup efforts.
"Right now we're working on cleaning all the debris, washing everything down," Birge said.
The water was so high this week it covered much of the lock infrastructure and left mud and tree branches throughout the visitor grass area.
The Army Corps of Engineers indicated they could reopen the Markland Locks to traffic as early as Friday night.
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