News Release
| Release Number: | 04-110 |
| Dated: | 5/27/2004 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced it will extend the partial-day closures of the John Day navigation lock by two weeks.
Beginning June 7, and continuing through June 19, the lock will be closed to all river traffic from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It will be open on Sundays.
The additional time is needed to complete repairs on the lock that began in 2003.
The Corps had hoped its contractor would have completed repairs by June 5, but unexpected delays forced the contractor to request extra time. Now through June 5, the lock is closed daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., except Sunday.
During the past year, the Corps has closed the John Day lock to repair the upstream lock gate, investigate cracks in the concrete, install permanent anchors in the walls and foundation, seal cracks and replace damaged concrete. The closures were coordinated with Columbia River commercial shipping interests, including tow boaters and cruise lines.
The longest closure was March 6 through April 3, 2004. During that time, the lock was completely unavailable to river traffic.
Completed in 1968, the John Day Dam spans the Columbia River from Washington to Oregon about 25 miles east of The Dalles, Ore., 215 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean. More than 10 million tons of cargo - consisting of agricultural, petroleum, construction and manufactured products - move through the Columbia-Snake river locks each year.