Bridges, Barges, & Associated Nonsense

The city of Louisville exists because of the Ohio River, more specifically the Falls of the Ohio, which is the only real barrier to navigation on the river. Prior to the building of a canal around it in the early 1800s, all river traffic on the Ohio had to stop at the falls, unload passengers and cargo and portage everything around the falls to be put on another ship. The city grew out of the folks catering to the river traffic, eventually expanding to incorporate its rival river town at the lower end of the falls, Portland.

For the longest time, much of Louisville's riverfront was industrial but the 20th century was unkind to all that. As part of ongoing efforts at 'urban renewal,' much of that has now been cleared and turned into parks. Now they're a good place to come relax and take in lovely views of the half dozen or so bridges the river is decorated with.

Never would have thought it until I moved here and saw it, but there's still a decent bit of traffic on the river, mostly barges hauling coal and other bulk cargos.

They just barge on through any old time, headed for McAlpine Locks and Dam down by the town turned neighborhood of Portland in western Louisville.

There used to be another community catering to the early river trade, Shippingport, but the canal that was built to bypass the falls turned it into an island and ruined its primary trade. The last inhabitants were evicted by the government back in the 1950s and it is now Army Corps of Engineers property now.

You can make out Shippingport Island in the distance above, with the bridge in the photo connecting it and the power plant there to Portland. The barge in the earlier photos was headed for this end of the locks, would have passed through the gates the people are walking on. Waited for hours at the locks to get a shot of one locking through but nary a one appeared. Seems to be kind of random, saw two in half an hour when shooting in Waterfront Park.

Any vessel can use the locks but it's hard to get their attention in a kayak. Once the gates at both ends are closed the water level can be raised or lowered depending on direction of travel, here it is lowered to match the downstream level. And that should be enough to float y'alls boat for one day.