LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's been more than three weeks since a boat pushing coal barges crashed into the Second Street Bridge near downtown Louisville, and salvage operations are still under way.
Nine barges became stuck on the McAlpine Dam after the crash on Christmas Day. Six barges still remain in the Ohio River.
Barge recovery efforts started last week, and since then, three barges have been removed from the water.
"There are two that are completely submerged and not visible," said Shawn Kenney with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Kenney is the Assistant Operations Manager for Locks and Dams over the Louisville district. He said the company responsible for the crash, Tennessee Valley Towing, hired the crew to recover the wreckage. The towing company will cover the cost of the cleanup, but it's not known how much it will cost.
The cleanup is expected to continue for weeks. In the meantime, navigation on the water isn't affected.
"All of the traffic passes this area on the Kentucky side of the river, so none of this work is in the navigation lane," Kenney said. "It's really not slowing down or impacting traffic at all."
Mike Mathis, who lives in southern Indiana, said he returns to the river every day to check out the progress.
"The equipment and the fact that you've got sunken barges being raised ... it's phenomenal," Mathis said.
Once the water recedes, crews will do a thorough inspection to check for damage to the dam, but the Corps of Engineers believes there is none.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Coast Guard.
Related Stories:
- Environmental concerns raised as 7th barge sinks into the Ohio River after crash
- Two more barges sink following crash with Second Street Bridge
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