Smithland Lock and Dam, Lock and dam on the Ohio River in Kentucky, United States.

Smithland Lock and Dam is a navigation facility that spans across the Ohio River where Kentucky and Illinois meet. It includes two locks that allow barges to pass through while maintaining consistent water levels downstream.

Smithland Lock and Dam was authorized by Congress in 1965 to replace Locks and Dams 50 and 51 on the Ohio River. It stands 919 miles downstream of Pittsburgh and 63 miles upstream from the confluence of the Mississippi with the Ohio, the 18th lock and dam in the river's chain.

The lock is named for Smithland, the Livingston County seat on the Kentucky bank at the dam. Its two chambers, each 1,200 feet long and 110 feet wide, carry commercial barge traffic on the Ohio, 919 miles below Pittsburgh and 63 miles above the Mississippi confluence.

The site offers viewpoints from nearby roads where you can watch barges pass through the locks. Visit during shipping season to see the facility in active operation with regular barge traffic.

Smithland Lock and Dam is the 18th lock and dam on the Ohio River, 919 miles downstream of Pittsburgh and 63 miles upstream from where the Ohio meets the Mississippi. Its two commercial locks each measure 1,200 feet long by 110 feet wide. Congress authorized the facility in 1965 to replace locks and dams 50 and 51.