By AP
Smithland, KY – Construction is scheduled to begin soon to expand Kentucky Lock near the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers in a move expected to shorten ships idle time on the water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District will hold a public ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday to celebrate the milestone, made possible through $40.7 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Corps awarded a construction contract to Thalle Construction of Hillsborough, N.C., on Jan. 29 for the first third of the concrete work. The work marks the first construction on the lock, about 20 miles east of Paducah, after a three-year lull.