U.S. Gulf/River: Shipping operators reported numerous channel operations underway between Mile 220 and Mile 765 on the upper Mississippi River, with at least one location, Mile 749, closed entirely due to shoaling.
Dredges arrived in the area on Aug. 13, and workers hoped to reopen the channel late on Aug. 14. Operations on the river were expected to slow barge traffic and reduce overall transit volume for the foreseeable future, likely prolonging or even intensifying the freight rate increases of recent weeks.
Transit delays of 8-12 hours were reported at Dashields Lock on the upper Ohio River, where the main chamber will be closed through Sep. 19. The Montgomery Lock main chamber will be closed for maintenance Aug. 18 through Sep. 19, and wait times of about an hour were reported at R.C. Byrd Lock, where the main chamber is scheduled for downtime Sep. 8 through Nov. 7.
On the lower Ohio River, Lock 52 saw average queue lengths of 17 boats for the week, resulting in 18-20 hour delays. The lock’s main chamber is slated for closure Aug. 18-29, while the auxiliary chamber will be offline Sep. 2-26.
The J.T. Meyers Lock, also on the lower Ohio, will see main chamber maintenance Sep. 2-19, and vessels heading southbound though the Olmstead Locks and Dam Project continued to be limited to tows of 15 barges or fewer.
On the Illinois River, waits of 2-4 hours were reported at Marseilles Lock. On the Arkansas River, the W.D. Mayo Lock will be closed Aug. 25 through Sep. 14 for miter gate maintenance.
Gulf-area locks reporting delays were Algiers Lock (one hour), Port Allen Lock (1-2 hours), Bayou Sorrel Lock (1-2 hours), and Industrial Lock (18-24 hours).