$13B Needed to Repair US Locks
There are 192 locks on 12,000 miles of American rivers, and most have lived far beyond their life expectancy, the NY Times reported last week. The Times reported that the Army Corps of Engineers estimate it will take $13 billion through 2020 just to fix the decaying locks, most of which were built in the 1930s. “Few people realize the shape our locks and dams are in,” Mike Toohey, the president and chief executive of the Waterways Council, an industry group in Washington, told the Times. Corps officials say it will take until 2090 to complete all the projects without additional funding. The Times reports that over the last decade, the average delay for barges at the Kentucky Dam has grown from less than four hours in 2004 to nearly seven hours today.
Tugboat Named For Long-serving Vulcan Employee
US company Vulcan Materials christens new tugboat 'Hazel Demery' in honor of nurse with 58 years of company service. The new tugboat for the company's Grand Rivers facility is named for Hazel Demery, a prominent figure in the Grand Rivers community. Mrs. Demery was guest of honor at the christening ceremony held at Vulcan's harbor, which is adjacent to the Kentucky Dam & Locks. Beginning in 1951, Mrs. Demery worked as a nurse for Reed Crushed Stone, which was acquired by Vulcan in 1990. Mrs. Demery continued working for Vulcan until she retired in 2009 with 58 years of service. Darren Hicks, Vulcan's director of human resources – Southern and Gulf Coast Area said, "Hazel's exemplary life has focused on service to our Company, her community, her family and her church.
