The Greenup Locks and Dam, located in Lloyd, Kentucky, was built during an industrial boom along the Ohio River. Completed in 1962, it replaced Dams Nos. 27-30 on the Ohio River and Dam No. 1 on the Big Sandy River.
In 1910, Congress greenlit the construction of locks and dams on the Ohio River to ensure consistent navigation. By 1929, 46 wicket-style dams had been established, transforming the river into a series of long lakes, ranging from 10 to 73 miles in length, with a guaranteed depth of nine feet. These dams, however, faced challenges in maintaining adequate water depths. The lock chambers, originally 600 feet in length, couldn’t accommodate modern tows often stretching beyond 1,000 feet. Though initially designed for 13 million tons of cargo yearly, they were managing 22 million tons upon completion. By 1954, cargo movement had escalated to 65 million tons.
The 1960s forecast a spike in coal transportation along the river, mainly to cater to the upcoming coal-fired power plants, two of which were set to power the Atomic Energy Commission’s plant near Waverly, Ohio.
Construction for the Greenup Locks and Dam kicked off in October 1954. By November 1959, the new locks were operational, and by June 1962, the dam had reached its maximum height, creating a 52-mile pool extending from the Gallipolis Locks and Dam. The dam also impacted the Big Sandy and Little Sandy rivers, creating slack water stretches of 22 and 11 miles respectively. Its official inauguration was on July 22.
The modernized Greenup facility featured a 1,287-foot movable dam, inclusive of a 245-foot fixed weir and nine tainter gates. These gates could withstand extreme floods in the Greenup and Ashland regions. The facility housed two locks: a primary one at 1,200 feet × 110 feet and a secondary one at 600 feet × 110 feet.
Previously, towboats spent about 90 minutes maneuvering barges through the old wicket dams, often splitting lengthy tows. With the Greenup upgrade, the duration shrunk to 20 minutes, allowing modern tows to navigate uninterrupted.
A hydroelectric power plant was introduced in 1982, followed by the Jesse Stuart Memorial Bridge in 1984-86, linking US Route 23 in Kentucky with US Route 52 in Ohio.
As of 2012, the Greenup Locks and Dam handled over 50 million tons of cargo, ranking as the 12th busiest lock system in the U.S. Furthermore, with 5,259 lockages, it stood as the 23rd most active in the nation.