MODOC, Ill. – Late Thursday morning it was reported that the Jerry F. Costello Lock And Dam had reopened to Kaskaskia River traffic.
A crewman on a barge on the Kaskaskia River snapped this photo after his tow cleared the Jerry F. Costello Lock.
Earlier in the day the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Rolanda Walker said the Corps had equipment onsite to remedy the closure and work had begun Wednesday morning.
She said “Crews will be working 12-hour days and as soon as enough silt has been removed to allow the lower miter gates to close, barge traffic will resume. After barge traffic resumes, equipment crews will continue to remove siltation and debris from the chamber and lower sill for approximately 10 to 12 days.”
On Friday, August 19, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported the lock and dam was closed to traffic when it could no longer close its downstream miter gates due to silt and debris build up on the lock sill and chamber.
Contracted divers were utilized to remove underwater obstructions, but the issue with the gate persisted.
Crews from the St. Louis District’s Motor Vessel Pathfinder successfully excavated silt that prevented the gates from properly closing.
“Our goal at the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam is to maintain reliable navigation to the region. After assessing the findings of the dive inspection, the St. Louis District’s Mechanical Dredging crew is actively working to safely reopen the lock as soon as possible,” Courtney Wilson, Operations manager for Carlyle Lake and Kaskaskia River Project said at the time.
The Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam (formerly the Kaskaskia Lock and Dam) is located on the Kaskaskia River at the confluence of the Mississippi River at river mile 117. Traffic on the river varies from barge traffic carrying grain, slag, coiled steel, etc. to small recreational pleasure crafts. The Lock and Dam also provides an opportunity for safe harbor for those wishing to tie off away from the Mississippi River.