Lock system updates for the 4th of July weekends

Before planning your outings on the Fox River this holiday, please be advised of some access issues on the system.

At Lock 3 in Appleton, the Lawe Street bridge is not fully operational. Depending on the water level, most fishing and ski boats have clearance under the bride as do pontoon boats with removeable canopies. The city is working on this issue and will notify us as soon as the bridge is back to full operation.

At the Little Chute lock, the bridge is still inoperable. However, most boats can pass under the bridge safely, depending on the height of the water. We will continue to staff this lock for those boats that are able to pass under the bridge. We have been advised that the Village is working on this issue and hopes to have the bridge operable yet this summer.

And, the Menasha lock remains closed at the request of the Wisconsin DNR.

It’s smooth sailing from the Bay of Green Bay through the DePere lock and the Little Kaukauna lock. This beautiful stretch of the river is open extended hours on the 4^th of July. You can also boat from the Menasha Marina, through Little Lake Butte des Morts, through the Appleton locks and up to Kaukauna – keeping in mind the clearance issues at the Lawe St. lock in Appleton and the Little Chute lock.

We hope you understand that we are working with all regional municipalities to open up navigation on a system that had been closed for more than three decades. Our goal is to return sections of the river to full navigation, which requires coordination between many municipalities. In the meantime, please enjoy the 25 navigable miles of the Fox River and boat safely!