ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) - A navigation lock on the Red River in central Louisiana has reopened.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it reopened the John H. Overton Lock and Dam at Alexandria earlier this month.
The Corps of Engineers' Vicksburg District closed the lock in September, draining all the water from inside the lock chamber for the first time since it was built in 1982.
Pumping out the water allowed engineers to inspect the lock, perform maintenance and make repairs.
More than 4 million tons of cargo is shipped on the Red River waterway each year. Five locks make the river navigable for towboats for 236 miles (380 kilometers) between Shreveport and the Red River's confluence with the Mississippi River.
