FLORENCE, Ala. (April 3, 2015) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is temporarily stopping tours at Wilson Lock for maintenance operations. The lock will be available for tours the weekends of April 3-5 and 10-12, but will close between April 17 and June 18, 2015.
“We ask visitors to make use of the next two weekends to come out to visit one of the Shoals’ major visitor attractions,” said Lockmaster Gerald Choat. “We plan to resume the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and federal holiday tours June 19, 2015.”
Wilson Lock is located at 704 South Wilson Dam Road and at Tennessee River mile 259.4. It is the highest single lift lock east of the Rocky Mountains with a normal lift of between 93 and 100 feet. The original project was completed by the Nashville District in 1927. In 1959, the Tennessee Valley Authority completed the main single-lift lock to replace the old and inadequate double-lift lockage system. It began operating Nov. 10, 1959.
Choat said the Corps of Engineers is halting the popular tours during this time because repairs and a major dewatering of the main lock are scheduled during the spring. Questions about lock tours can be addressed at 256-764-5223.
(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.)
Release no. 15-007