As of Oct. 16, the Ohio River is now open at Lock & Dam 52, according to the Waterways Council Inc. The river reopened on Oct. 14 after it had been closed for nearly a week due to rising river stages that exceeded the maximum locking stage of 20.7 feet. Precipitation from Hurricane Nate prompted the rising river levels and closure, but L&D 52 was closed from Sept. 6-14 due to an unscheduled maintenance outage at the 89-year-old facility.
As of Oct. 16, there were 58 vessels with 658 barges waiting to transit L&D 52. This backup is over roughly a 20-mile stretch of river.