Vicksburg, Miss……Reduced operating hours at H.K. Thatcher and Felsenthal locks go into effect this week. The new hours of operation are 5 a.m. until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The U.S Army Corps of Engineers took this step due to the lack of commercial traffic at the two locks. During the past year, no commercial vessels have passed through H.K. Thatcher lock. Only six commercial vessels passed through Felsenthal lock in 2015.
The cost savings from reducing the hours at these two locks will allow the Corps to increase the operating hours at Jonesville and Columbia locks from 20 hours per day to 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
The Vicksburg District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana and is responsible for navigation and operation of the locks and dams along the J. B. J. Waterway, the Ouachita-Black River system and the navigation of the Mississippi River in the District’s area. Additional information on Corps projects can be found on the Vicksburg District’s website http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil .
Release no. 15-066