Lock Closures Could Cost Millions

by Angela Hatton, Kentucky Public RadioDue to flooding, Ohio River locks between Louisville and Cairo, Illinois have been temporarily shutdown. Water on the rivers is expected to stay high for at least another week. And that means the river transportation industry could lose millions of dollars on blocked shipments.Emmett Neal is Vice President of Operations for Crounse Corporation in Paducah, which operates over a 1,000 barges on the Ohio.“Where we have been able to run, we’ve had to cut back on our tow sizes," he says. "It’s been a very hard time for us. Not just Crounse Corporation, but the industry as a whole.”Officials are prioritizing shipments for when waterways reopen.