ASHLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ review of a  proposed extension of the Greenup Locks and Dam’s auxiliary chamber will take into account economic and environmental factors as well as revisit early engineering plans for construction and the design challenges to overcome, according to officials.

Last week, the public was given an opportunity to learn more about the project and submit concerns and questions during an open house in Ashland.

Representatives from the corps explained the project and what is being reviewed during the re-evaluation process.

The expansion of the auxiliary lock from its 600-foot length to 1,200 feet was approved by Congress in 2000, but the project was never funded. The expansion, which would create two 1,200-foot locks at the locks and dam, is the crux of a two-year study, due out in June 2014.

Economics

How much barge traffic will be moving through the locks and dam in the future and what the barges are hauling are a major component of determining if the lock extension is needed, according to officials.

In the last decade, the Greenup County facility has consistently been among the busiest locks in the nation, said project manager Mike Keathly. An average of 14 to 16 towboats, many with tows of 16 barges, move through the system every day, or approximately 5,000 to 6,000 boats per year, according to lockmaster Eric Dolly. Between 2000 to 2010, an average of 64 million tons a year of materials moved through the locks.

Coal comprised 59 percent of the material, according to the latest figures. Corps economist Lin Prescott said coal is projected to be demanded in larger quantities in the next decade despite the recession and a recent dip in demand because of a flood of shale gas on the market. However, demand for Appalachian coal is expected to decline around 2035 because of tighter air regulations, Prescott said.

He said part of the re-evaluation will be a study about what this means for the locks and dam. National and international demand for coal, as well as other market factors, will be considered, he said.

Although coal, petroleum, chemicals and crude materials are moved in the highest quantities through the dam, the study will also take into account what materials may be shipped through the dam in the future, the economist said.

Engineering

The age of the locks and dam, which were built in 1959, and their designs present unique engineering challenges, said engineer Darin White.

Some of the design work to extend the auxiliary chamber  along the Kentucky side of the bank has been completed but is being re-evaluated, White said.

The goal, he said, is to build the extension while minimizing the impact on the main lock. The chambers will share a middle wall and the location of the auxiliary chamber next to the Kentucky bank may require the digging of a large canal under the Jesse Stuart Bridge to move water in and out of it. Engineers must also determine if the existing structure can be added onto.

“The building part is difficult at times, but it’s understanding how we are going to build it, understanding what the components are, designing those components that generally take the most time,” he said. In addition, engineers must do a cost-benefit analysis as part of the design phase.

 “The structure is pretty complicated,” White said. “So it’s pretty expensive. We are looking at a number of alternative measures.”

A preliminary cost estimate, done in 2000, put the project at $175 million. Since then, the cost has jumped to about $245 million, Derek Maxey said. “That is assuming we get to move forward in the next two years. If we’re doing this all over again in 10 years, that will probably change.”

Reliability

The reliability of the main chamber is another major factor in the expansion project. During the next two years, the federal government is investing more than $11.5 million to replace both sets of miter gates on the main chamber, which have suffered a number of failures in recent years. When the main lock fails, barges are forced to lock through the auxiliary chamber, which can more than double the time it takes to lock through. The delays drive up costs for industries and cause traffic jams on the river.

With the new investment, the corps is re-evaluating the need for the auxiliary chamber.

“Now we are taking a step back and asking, ‘Is this the right plan? Now that we have fairly reliable gates, do we really want to invest money in an extension?’” White said.

David Smith, the navigation chairman of the Huntington Waterways Association, which represents the towing industry, isn’t sold on the reliability of the miter gates.

“In my experience you can’t always rely on the new stuff,” Smith said. “I’m not sold on the reliability, and you still have a 60-year-old structure.”  

He believes the expansion is not only an insurance policy against additional failures, but an investment in the future.

“Even though we're in an economic downturn now, we don’t know what the future holds,” he said. He believes the United States river system is a cleaner way to move freight and helps to alleviate traffic on roadway and rail.

“The only room for expansion is the waterway system,” Smith said. “Container on barge is eventually something that is going to have to happen.”

Environmental

The project’s impact on the local environment will also be factored into the review. U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Leroy Koch will be writing the supplemental environmental report. He said there are several types of endangered mussels that may be in the vicinity of the dam, including species recently added to the list.

“We’ll be concerned about impacts that occur from this to the mussel community, and go from there,” he said.

Public input

The public is invited to comment on the project during the length of the study, said Amy K. Frantz, chief of planning for the corps’ Huntington district.

Written comments may be sent to Natalie McKinley, CELRH-PM-PD-F, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, 502 Eighth St., Huntington, WV 25701-2070. For more information, call the district’s public affairs office at (304) 399-5353 or visit lrh.usace.army.mil.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.