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W.P. Franklin Lock to close to vessel traffic for Wednesday; Julien Keen Lock width restricted

WGCU | By WGCU Staff
Published January 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM EST
The W.P. Franklin Lock on the Caloosahatchee River in Alva will be closed for one day to support maintenance on Jan. 18.
File photo
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WGCU
The W.P. Franklin Lock on the Caloosahatchee River in Alva will be closed for one day to support maintenance on Jan. 18.

The W.P Franklin Lock on the Caloosahatchee River will be closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diving survey.

Additionally, the Corps on Tuesday said the Julien Keen Jr. Lock would have its width restricted to 24 feet until further notice. The Keen lock used to be known as the Moore Haven Lock and Dam.

The Franklin lock was last closed in December due to silt accumulating at the gates. Cleaning was necessary, forcing the closure.

Approximately 15,000 vessels lock through annually; of these about 97% are recreational vessels.

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