Great bridge locks closed
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psneeld
Guru
By Mike Connors
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 14, 2013
CHESAPEAKE
Repairs at the Great Bridge Lock aren't expected to be completed until about Thanksgiving.
The Army Corps of Engineers shut down the 81-year-old lock on Nov. 5 because of a broken valve. Boats can't pass through the lock - which links the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River with the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, all part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - except in favorable winds at low tide, when water levels of the river and canal are even.
Concrete that anchors the valve had deteriorated, the corps reported. Longtime corps contractor U.S. Facilities Inc. of Philadelphia has agreed to repair the valve.
U.S. Facilities is acquiring parts and should begin work next week; it's expected to take about two weeks. In the meantime, recreational boats that draft less than 6 feet can go west, using the Deep Creek and South Mills locks on the Dismal Swamp Canal into North Carolina to reach the Albemarle Sound.
Great Bridge Lock repairs weeks from completion | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 14, 2013
CHESAPEAKE
Repairs at the Great Bridge Lock aren't expected to be completed until about Thanksgiving.
The Army Corps of Engineers shut down the 81-year-old lock on Nov. 5 because of a broken valve. Boats can't pass through the lock - which links the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River with the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, all part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - except in favorable winds at low tide, when water levels of the river and canal are even.
Concrete that anchors the valve had deteriorated, the corps reported. Longtime corps contractor U.S. Facilities Inc. of Philadelphia has agreed to repair the valve.
U.S. Facilities is acquiring parts and should begin work next week; it's expected to take about two weeks. In the meantime, recreational boats that draft less than 6 feet can go west, using the Deep Creek and South Mills locks on the Dismal Swamp Canal into North Carolina to reach the Albemarle Sound.
Great Bridge Lock repairs weeks from completion | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
jwnall
Moderator Emeritus
I would take that 6-feet with a grain of salt. Personally, I would not take a boat that draws over 5-feet into the Dismal Swamp Canal, and I have traversed it quite a few times. Just saying . . . others may differ.
psneeld
Guru
Some boaters don't fear bumping....
markpierce
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Or slithering through the mud (near low tide, Petaluma River/slough):
(Mahalo Moi suddenly slowed down, but once feeling the Coot's keel drag, didn't want to reduce power. ... Bear left, bear left!)
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magicbus
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I just figure the more 6 foot draft boats that proceed me the deeper it will be when I pass through.
Dave
Dave
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
I see we share the same strategy Mark, let the deeper draft boat go first 
But then again, what are friends for
I really need to move my transducer off my stern
But then again, what are friends for
I really need to move my transducer off my stern
markpierce
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I see we share the same strategy Mark, let the deeper draft boat go first
But then again, what are friends for
I really need to move my transducer off my stern
Yes, but then I led the way on the subsequent expedition to/from Petaluma, but we did it at higher tide levels. (Not that those behind didn't have similar moments.)
(After 45 minutes, the D Street Bridge opened for access to the Petaluma turning basin; onward! ... While awaiting the bridge opening tied the Coot up with the docked tugboat, FlyWight anchored, and Mahalo Moi and Delta Swizzler hovered.)
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Daddyo
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The Dismal is great! Our trawlers have no problem. If it's good enough for George Washington, Robert Frost, Edgar Allen Poe, etc. it's good enough for me. Won 2nd in Passage Makers photo contest a few years ago with my shot "Anything but Dismal". Take it slow and count the turtles on a sunny day.
Moonstruck
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Mark, it's usually a good idea to watch the temp and check your strainers after dragging through the mud----but you probably knew that. Filled mine up dragging through the mud at low tide going into Amelia Island Yacht Basin.
fryedaze
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Todays lock update
Lock opened up this morning at 0830 and will open again at 1600 this afternoon. Boaters who go south are being warned by Tidewater Marina and further down by the Gilmerton Bridge and the Coast Guard are sending out warnings about the lock every half hour. Yesterday divers were working all day trying to build a cofferdam around the valve so they can do the necessary repair.
Lock opened up this morning at 0830 and will open again at 1600 this afternoon. Boaters who go south are being warned by Tidewater Marina and further down by the Gilmerton Bridge and the Coast Guard are sending out warnings about the lock every half hour. Yesterday divers were working all day trying to build a cofferdam around the valve so they can do the necessary repair.
