SEATTLE--The small lock at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard will close to marine traffic for 12 days starting at 7 a.m. March 12 through 6 p.m. March 23 for annual maintenance, according to the Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Locks.

The small lock is capable of handling vessels up to 25 feet wide and 100 feet long while the large lock can be configured to be handle vessels as large as 760 feet by 80 feet.

The large lock will remain open for boat traffic throughout this period and boaters should be prepared to use the large lock with appropriate equipment and crew.

The scheduled repairs to the small lock are part of an annual general maintenance program. Once they drain the small lock to conduct annual maintenance, the lock staff may also do some additional work on the upstream service gate miter bars. The extent of the work will depend upon what crews find before committing the resources and manpower.

The Chittenden Locks safely transits well over 60,000 vessels each year between Lake Washington and Salmon Bay in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.

For current information about activities at the Locks or "Locking Through," check the Corps of Engineers website at: http://www.nws.usace.army.mil and select "Dams and Locks" then "Lake Washington Ship Canal" from the left column.