Corps of Engineers closes gate that had been stuck for two days at Dardanelle Lock and Dam, affecting Arkansas River traffic

RUSSELLVILLE -- Teams with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were able to close a stuck spillway gate at Dardanelle Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River on Thursday after it had been open for two days straight, according to a news release from the Corps of Engineers.

The gate became stuck in the open position Tuesday morning during routine maintenance to clear floating logs and debris from the dam, the release states. The maintenance work began at 7 a.m. and normally takes less than an hour to complete, but when workers tried to lower the gate around 8:15 a.m., it would not move, according to the Corps. The gate remained stuck in the fully open position despite repair attempts throughout the day Tuesday and Wednesday, but by Thursday evening, crews were able to get it closed.

"Our engineers