McAlpine Lock, Ohio River

In March 2009, the Corps will open new twin 1,200-foot locks on the Ohio River to replace a single, shorter lock built in 1921. One of the replacement locks—the McAlpine Lock near Louisville, Kentucky, which was built to transport commodities over the Falls of Ohio—will enable the facility to meet projected increases in commercial barge traffic during the next 30 years. ⁸ According to the Corps’ Louisville District, in fiscal year 2005, 57 million tons of freight passed through McAlpine, 37% of which was coal.