U.S. Gulf/River: Frigid temperatures contributed to icy conditions at a number of locations on the Illinois River last week. Shippers reported 50 percent ice coverage at Dresden Island Lock, and ice trails on Lake Peoria allowed for one-way traffic only. Due to the conditions, rake barges were preferred for loading on the Illinois. No ice was reported at LaGrange Lock.
The Upper Mississippi River’s Lock 27 main chamber was closed Feb. 3-4, with daytime transit restrictions scheduled for Feb. 6-8 and Feb. 18 through March 7. Demolition of the Old 1270 Bridge at Mile 190.8 began Feb. 3. Sources expected debris cleanup to close the river for at least 24 hours. Officials imposed a 70-foot width restriction at Locks 21 and 22 in response to heavy ice at the sites. No timeline for easing the width restriction was announced.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revised guidelines for the start of the 2014/15 rock removal project at Thebes, Ill. The work is now set to begin when river levels at Cape Girardeau, Mo., descend to 11.5 feet instead of the Corps’ previous 10-foot benchmark. The gauge at Cape Girardeau read 13.0 feet on Feb. 5. Intermittent closures continued at Mile 2.5 during weir construction, slated to wrap up on Feb. 14.
Delays of about an hour were reported at R.C. Byrd Lock on the Ohio River. The main chamber at Greenup Lock was offline on Feb. 4-5, but the lock’s auxiliary chamber was available for use. Repairs at Lock 52 were loosely scheduled for Feb. 8-11 after several wickets were discovered to be missing. The Belleville Lock auxiliary chamber will be closed Feb. 9-27 for repairs, and lock maintenance will force intermittent closures at Newburgh Lock between April 6 and May 19.
Transit through the Monongahela River’s Braddock Lock remained relegated to the site’s land chamber for another week. Use of the river chamber has been curtailed indefinitely due to equipment failure.
Icy conditions hampered operations on the Allegheny River for a third consecutive week, shippers said. Major delays are expected at the Kanawha River’s Winfield Lock from Feb. 25 through April 30 while main chamber repairs are performed.
Repairs to Wilson Lock on the Tennessee River will prompt daytime navigation restrictions on Feb. 23-27, March 16-20, and May 5 through June 11. The lock’s auxiliary chamber will be open for the duration of the work.
Channel maintenance at Lower Mississippi River Mile 634 will force daytime travel restrictions through April 1. In the Gulf, waits were described at Industrial Lock (6-8 hours), Bayou Sorrel Lock (4-6 hours), Port Allen Lock (2-4 hours), and Algiers Lock (one hour). Daytime passage through Calcasieu Lock in the West Canal will be limited through Feb. 28.