NR 14-014: Corps to allow unescorted access to Old Hickory Navigation Lock

OLD HICKORY, Tenn. (May 20, 2014) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District announced today that it is offering the public unescorted access to Old Hickory Navigation Lock beginning May 23, 2014.  The lock will be accessible to visitors seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Sept. 2, 2014.

The Corps restricted access to the lock following Sept. 11, 2001 as a security precaution, but district officials now support allowing the public into these areas to foster better community relations and to let people see how the lock facilitates movement of commerce within the U.S. Inland Waterway System.

“After more than a decade of significant restrictions, we are excited to be able to reopen the locks to the public during daylight hours,” said Lt. Col. John L. Hudson, Nashville District commander.  “We are committed to balancing the need for security with the interest people have in visiting the facilities and watching boats lock through the dam, as they move up and down the Cumberland River.” 

Old Hickory Lock is one of four locks located on the 300-plus navigable miles in the Cumberland River Basin.  It is a single chamber measuring 84 feet wide and 400 feet long. The average tonnage of all commodities transported through the lock is 4.5 million tons, which equates to approximately 3,000 full barges. The major commodities are coal, sand and petroleum.  There are approximately 3,000 lockages for recreational traffic each year.

The lock is located at 1188 Cinder Road, Old Hickory, TN, 37138. It is also located at mile 216.2 of the Cumberland River in Davidson County. Public restrooms are available during visiting hours. For more information please contact the Old Hickory Lake Resource Manager’s Office at 615-822-4846.

(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.  The public can also visit Old Hickory Lake’s Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/oldhickorylake.)