Mike Likavec with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspects the large lock at the Ballard Locks during a manual gate operation test Oct. 13 after it had been struck by lightning two days earlier.
Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The large lock at the Ballard Locks will open Oct. 14 on a limited basis due to the need to manually operate it after it experienced an electrical outage from a lightning strike Oct. 11.
At this time, there will be two lockages daily - one beginning at 9 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. Both lockages will include an up and then down lockage, or vice versa, depending on the flow of the traffic, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers press release.
Vessels entering the Locks from Lake Washington require lowering the water. Vessels entering the Locks from Puget Sound require raising the water.
Lockages will be done on a priority basis, according to the press release. The barges and freighters on scheduled runs will get a one per lockage priority. The next priority will go to all other commercial vessels. If there are no other commercial vessels, another barge and freighter could be included.
If there is room, recreational vessels that need the large lock will be allowed to use it. All other recreational vessels will be put on standby for the small lock, according to the press release.
To get on the waiting list, boaters are asked to call the Lockmaster at 206.783.7000.
The maintenance crew continues the assessment and repairs to the large lock to restore it to full service, according to the press release.
As more information on the large lock status becomes available, updates will be posted on the Corps of Engineers information line at 1.866.596.2635 and the Ballard Locks' website.
