Oregon Public Broadcasting

Traffic on the Columbia River resumed late Sunday night.  As Andrew Theen reports, work crews were able to remove the damaged gate at the John Day Dam east of the Dalles.

Last Thursday night, a barge struck a gate at the John Day lock. 

Authorities thought river traffic would be stopped for several weeks.  But over the weekend, crews were able to remove the damaged gate and install a floating bulkhead that will serve as a temporary solution.

Diana Fredlund is with the Army Corps of Engineers.  She says having the lock closed for 3 days created a backlog of barge cargo.

The lock is closed for routine two week maintenance starting this weekend, so Fredlund says the plan is to maximize trips in the next few days.

Diana Fredlund: "If there are two tugs that are going through upstream at the same time, we might be able to put them both in the lock and move them on their way."

Fredlund said the Corps is planning for "an extensive rehab" of the John Day Lock.

The dam is the youngest on the lower Columbia River.