M/V Jincy passes Huntington

I haven't been down by the river lately when towboats have gone by. Yesterday evening was an exception, so I figured I had better take advantage of the opportunity. Enjoy.

Remember, all photos are copyright by me, Jim Ross. All rights reserved. Not to be downloaded, copied, printed, distributed or otherwise used without my permission.

New gas-fired power plant proposed along Ohio River

With older, smaller coal-fired power plants going off line in the next 12 months, there is a question of whether the grid will have enough capacity in severe weather (pardon the TV meteorology term) such as this past winter. Perhaps gas will step in.

In the Wheeling area, there is one such project in the works, in which a gas-fired plant would essentially replace the capacity being lost when the Kammer plant shuts down.

This plant would not be built and operated by a utility such as AEP or FirstEnergy. Instead, it would be a merchant plant. And it would be owned by the county and leased to an operator as a way of avoiding property taxes.

A couple of things in there will draw scrutiny. For one thing, will the county want to get into the power business? Second, is the merchant business strong enough to justify the investment? Duke Energy is selling off its merchant fleet, including several plants along the Ohio River between Huntington and Cincinnati. If the market were lucrative, I couldn't see Duke doing that. But to me the merchant electricity business, in which independent companies sell electricity to the utilities that deliver it to your home, has a lot that I don't know but really need to learn.

In the news, 4/22/14 (updated)

Via Facebook friend and AEP pilot Mark Kincaid, here's a link to a trade publication story on AEP's move into the tank barge business.

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The group that owns the World War II tank and troop transport vessel LST-325 is talking about finding a new port other than Evansville for the vessel. Here's another take on the same story.

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And it looks like resolving the question of when the overused Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati will be replaced has been put off for another year. The question is tolls. Some people in Northern Kentucky don't want them, but when Mitch McConnell says it will have to have tolls, that may mean something.

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From public radio WESA in Pittsburgh:

The Ohio River appears on many lists as one of the nation’s most polluted waterways. In an effort to heal the river, a group of indigenous women and others will walk the span of the river starting from Point State Park on Earth Day. ...

The “Nibi Walk” is 981 miles and is expected to take 35 days to complete.

If I read road maps correctly (I really don't like GPS), in the lower Ohio there are long stretches where there is no road next to the river, so I don't know many miles the river walkers will actually travel. But I will try to catch up to them when they come through my area if I can.

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Ashland, Ky., has a nice park beside the Ohio River. It provides a good backdrop for getting boat pictures, too. And this spring for the first time it will be the setting for the city's Paul G. Blazer High School graduation ceremony.

Blazer, for whom the Marathon Petroleum towboat is named, founded what became Ashland Oil.

AEP Mariner

Adam spotted the AEP Mariner while we were on our way home from someplace. Naturally, we had to get a few shots.

Including this fellow.

It was nice to see a boat for a change.

Old pier, new life

This is a pretty nice idea. They took a pier from a demolished bridge and made an observation platform out of it.

If you want to see photos of the old bridge being demolished, check out this one and this one.

Where did the boats go?

Lately I've noticed there have been fewer and fewer boats on the Ohio River when I've just wanted to watch one go by. With the hills turning green again, it's a good time to get some new pictures, too. But the opportunities seem to be scarce nowadays.

So I ran some numbers. I knew CSX was reporting its coal volume was fairly stable in the first quarter, which was a bit of a surprise, and Norfolk Southern said its coal loadings were down, so why not check the numbers of tonnage going through the locks?

Here is what I got for selected locks and dams on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers in the first quarter.

Lock	2014	2013	Change	Pct change
Ohio River
Pike Island	3,853.18	4,193.52	-340.34	-8.1%
Hannibal	5,310.03	5,185.89	124.14	2.4%
Racine	5,047.30	5,088.04	-40.74	-0.8%
R.C. Byrd	3,806.08	4,803.66	-997.58	-20.8%
Greenup	2,941.35	4,203.69	-1,262.34	-30.0%
Meldahl	3,747.14	5,061.08	-1,313.94	-26.0%
McAlpine	6,311.86	6,690.60	-378.74	-5.7%
JT Myers	3,597.04	4,950.56	-1,353.52	-27.3%
L&D 52	3,202.69	4,915.27	-1,712.58	-34.8%
Kanawha River
Winfield	1,298.50	1,775.70	-477.20	-26.9%
Marmet	1,096.20	1,410.38	-314.18	-22.3%
London	266.34	327.23	-60.89	-18.6%

I spend most of my time in the Greenup and RC Byrd pools, and you can see from the numbers what's happening with coal traffic. I've written some in the past 12 months about how coal from the Illinois Basin is taking market share from Central Appalachia (southern WV, eastern KY, western VA, northeastern TN) mines. The chart shows what's going on in that regard.

Northern Appalachia, which includes northern West Virginia, is holding fairly steady, as you can tell from the Pike Island and Hannibal numbers. Pike Island is north of the big mines and docks in the Wheeling and Moundsville WV areas, while Hannibal is south of them.

I chose Racine because it's the first lock north of the mouth of the Kanawha, and RC Byrd is the first lock south of the Kanawha. Greenup is the first lock south of the Big Sandy. I don't have recent numbers on the Big Sandy, but the last ones I saw indicated a big decline there, too.

I don't know if one has to do with the other, but Adam and I were at Catlettsburg last weekend to see if any boats were there, and the one thing I noticed was that there was a big empty space where Crounse Corp. normally park two to three dozen empty coal barges.

The numbers for the Kanawha speak for themselves. And it could address why Campbell no longer has an operation at Point Pleasant.

There's more analysis to do. Hey, in theory I have a weekend coming up, so there will be a little time to play with more numbers in more detail. But this should help answer the question of why I haven't run many pictures lately of boats pushing coal barges. It's because there are fewer boats to shoot.

1970s archives: A flood in Gallipolis, Ohio

We had two big floods in my part of the river in late 1978 and early 1979. I think this one was from February 1979. It shows the lower end of Gallipolis flooded by Chickamauga Creek, thanks to backwater from the Ohio River.

Here the water covers State Route 7. Considering this was 35 years ago, both gas stations are long gone. It's interesting to me to see the old Quaker State and Ashland signs. They older man in the plaid jacket is smoking a pipe -- something I don't see much of around here anymore. Also, in pictures like this I like to see what cars people were driving.

Bridge to open

It's usually a fine event when a new bridge over the Ohio River opens to traffic. Here's an announcement on the latest:

Milton-Madison Bridge set to reopen
 

A week after the historic slide of the Milton-Madison Bridge, traffic will again flow across the Ohio River span that connects Milton, Ky. and Madison, Ind. via U.S. Highway 421. Weather permitting, the bridge will be reopened to all motorists at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 17.

Spanning nearly a half mile, the truss of the Milton-Madison Bridge is the longest bridge in North America – and perhaps the world – to be slid laterally into place. It was slid 55 feet from temporary piers onto refurbished piers. The 30-million pound new steel truss bridge is 2,428-feet long and 40-feet wide with two 12-foot lanes and 8-foot shoulders – twice as wide as the old bridge. A 5-foot-wide cantilevered sidewalk will be added to the structure and open this summer. The original Milton-Madison Bridge opened in 1929.

There will be additional work following the reopening, which includes completion of the pier caps, removal of the temporary piers, installation of measures to protect the refurbished piers and some painting. As a result, the bridge is still considered a work zone and has a speed limit of 20 miles per hour. Drivers will also encounter some occasional lane shifts. Motorists are urged to proceed with caution while the bridge remains an active work zone.

NOTE:

• It’s possible the bridge could reopen prior to 11:59 p.m. Follow the project on Twitter @mmbridgeproject for updates.

Cheap in Louisville

When I was in college way back in the 1970s, I was always surprised by the number of students who went to Louisville to watch the Kentucky Derby. I never had any money for that or for spring break in Florida or any of that stuff. I felt rich if I could buy a Baskin-Robbins two-scoop strawberry ice cream cone. I remember one month I ran out of money with a lot of dirty laundry that needed to be done.

Anyway, I found this list of five free things to do in Louisville. If I ever get back down there again with a few hours to spare, I'll definitely check out their riverfront park and I'm for sure to go up on the Big Four Bridge.

As Dizzy Dean would say, they slud the bridge into place today. Here's the announcement from the Milton-Madison Bridge Project:

Historic Milton-Madison Bridge Slide Complete

MADISON, Ind. – The record-breaking slide of the Milton-Madison Bridge is complete. This afternoon the new bridge’s 55-foot journey from temporary piers to its permanent, refurbished piers came to a successful completion.

To view time-lapse video of slide, click on this YouTube link: http://youtu.be/X4f_1uC0iXc

Spanning nearly a half mile, the truss of the Milton-Madison Bridge is now the longest bridge in North America – and perhaps the world – to be slid laterally into place, making this a historic day for Madison, Indiana and Milton, Kentucky.

The slide began yesterday morning, but was halted in the late afternoon due to high winds over the Ohio River.  Walsh Construction, which is building the Milton-Madison Bridge, brought in materials from the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project to help deal with windy conditions and assist in synchronizing the slide onto the bridge’s five piers. This allowed the slide to resume this morning at approximately 8:00 a.m.

“It’s great to see the bridge completed and sitting in its permanent location,” said Dav Kessinger, project manager for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. “This bridge will serve the area well for decades to come.”

“This is truly a historic accomplishment for everyone involved,” said Kevin Hetrick, project manager for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). “The people of Indiana and Kentucky should be proud to be a part of this amazing engineering feat.”

Polished steel sliding plates were secured on top of the refurbished piers. Steel cables and eight computer-controlled hydraulic jacks were used to pull the bridge through a series of grabs and pulls until the bridge was slid into place. The 30-million pound new steel truss bridge is 2,428-feet long and 40-feet wide with two 12-foot lanes and 8-foot shoulders – twice as wide as the old bridge. A 5-foot-wide cantilevered sidewalk will be added to the structure in the coming months. The original Milton-Madison Bridge opened in 1929.

Now that the slide is complete, it will take approximately a week to complete inspections, road connections to the bridge and other work before the bridge is reopened to traffic.

During the closure, motorists relying on the bridge are being rerouted to one of two other bridges – the Markland Locks and Dam Bridge on Kentucky Route 1039 and Indiana State Road 101, 26 miles upstream, or the Kennedy Bridge on Interstate 65 in Louisville, 46 miles downstream.

Also during the closure, an emergency ferry is continuing to transport emergency medical vehicles across the river between the Milton boat ramp near Ferry St. and the temporary Ferry St. landing in Madison. Residents are asked to keep these areas clear to allow access for emergency vehicles if necessary.

The Milton-Madison Bridge Project – a joint effort between the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – has received numerous awards. It was named one of the top 10 bridge projects in the country by Roads & Bridges magazine, received a 2012 Best of What’s New Award from Popular Science magazine and received several state and national engineering awards for innovation. For more information, visit MiltonMadisonBridge.com or follow the project on Twitter.

From the archives: The Helen S

Thirty years ago, Ohio River Co. boats were all over the part of the Ohio River where I live. One of them was the Helen S, a Dravo-built boat. Here are a couple of images I pulled from some black and white negatives in my archives.

As far as I know, the Helen S is now the Jonathan Erickson of Marquette Transportation, and it spends most of its time on the Upper Mississippi. As of this morning, its last position was above Lock and Dam 22.

I know enough about business to know that names and companies come and go, but I kind of miss seeing Ohio River Co. boats. Nice name, nice boats.

Oh well

Maybe it's just as well I didn't go down to Madison today.

(April 9, 2014) The slide of the Milton-Madison Bridge progressed 16 feet today between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.  But due to wind gusts over the Ohio River, the slide is on hold.  The wind conditions – which were more severe over the river -- affected the synchronization of sliding the bridge over the five piers. 

Weather conditions are not conducive for the slide to resume over the next few days. The earliest it could occur based upon the current forecast is this weekend.

The Big Slide is today

The Big Slide is today, and instead of being in Madison, Ind., or Milton, Ky., I'm stuck here in West Virginia trying to earn enough money to make my next car payment. Here's what the folks at the Milton-Madison Bridge Project e-mailed out yesterday. Text and photos are taken directly from the e-mail. Enjoy.

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It’s the largest bridge slide of its type in North America. The new Milton-Madison Bridge, which spans nearly a half-mile and weighs some 30 million pounds, will slide 55 feet laterally from its temporary piers and onto refurbished permanent piers.  


The slide, scheduled to begin Wednesday morning, April 9, could take up to 16 hours before the bridge rests in its final location – on top of the refurbished piers that held the old Milton-Madison Bridge in place beginning in 1929. The Coast Guard will close the river during the slide.

“We’re making history in Indiana and Kentucky,” said Karl Browning, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation. “Through hard work and creative engineering, we’ve been able to rebuild this bridge quickly and cost effectively.”

Pulling a half-mile structure weighing 30 million pounds a distance of 55 feet in a matter of hours is an engineering marvel, though simple in concept.

Polished steel sliding plates are secured on top of the refurbished piers. Steel cables and hydraulic jacks controlled by computers will be used to pull the bridge. A total of eight jacks are mounted on the piers. Industrial lubrication is put on the sliding plates to grease the skids. Then, through a series of grabs and pulls, the bridge is slid into place. Each grab and pull is expected to move the bridge 20–22 inches – up to 10 feet per hour.

Once the bridge is in its final position, additional work has to be completed before it can reopen, including inspections, welding and bolting it in place, reconnecting the driving surfaces, installing expansion joints, pouring concrete, configuring drainage and re-striping.

“Everyone is a winner on this project,” said Mike Hancock, secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. “We’re showing the rest of the country how two states, by strategically working together, can deal with aging infrastructure in creative ways that improve safety and better the quality of life for their citizens.”

All schedules are tentative because weather and other factors can alter the schedule. If all goes as planned, the bridge will reopen to traffic about a week after the slide.


The new steel truss bridge is 2,428 feet long and 40 feet wide with two 12-foot lanes and 8-foot shoulders – twice as wide as the old bridge. A 5-foot-wide cantilevered sidewalk will be added to the structure in the coming months after the slide.

The Milton-Madison Bridge Project – a joint effort between the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – has received numerous awards. It was named one of the top 10 bridge projects in the country by Roads & Bridges magazine, received a 2012 Best of What’s New Award from Popular Science magazine and received several state and national engineering awards for innovation. For more information, visit http://www.MiltonMadisonBridge.com or follow the project on Twitter.

FYI

A 2½-month investigation by the Tribune-Review found that Pennsylvania state inspectors failed to examine more than 45 percent of the 4,075 industrial plants, refineries, mines, sewage treatment plants and other facilities with permits to discharge into the Ohio River watershed over the past five years.

A "ferry" at Madison

A ferry service (more like a water taxi?) across the Ohio River at Madison, Indiana, and Milton, Kentucky? Now I really want to go down there.

Back to the Eggner's Ferry Bridge

A couple of days ago I was wondering about the Eggners Ferry Bridge collapse -- namely if anything ever came of it. It's something that had dropped off my radar, as it was not on the Ohio itself.

Now we read that the commonwealth of Kentucky is trying to recover about $7 million in damages from the company that owned the boat that crashed into the bridge.