Atlantic: Tropical Storm Erika, located 30 miles southeast of Antigua on Aug. 27, was forecast to follow a northwesterly track over the weekend. Weather models called for the system to reach Category 1 hurricane strength before striking Florida’s eastern coast on Aug. 30-31.
Tropical Storm Danny devolved into a low-pressure trough in the Caribbean last week. Forecasters did not believe the system was likely to intensify again.
U.S. Gulf: Increased navigation through Algiers Lock pushed delays at the site to 18-24 hours for the week, shippers noted, with an average of 18 vessels in the queue. The extra traffic was due to dewatering, maintenance, and repair efforts underway through Oct. 15 at Bayou Sorrel Lock, and heavy congestion was reported in the West Canal – particularly in the Houma area – resulting from the work at Bayou Sorrel. Delays at Industrial Lock were reported at 4-6 hours, and boats were transiting Port Allen Lock in under an hour.
Industrial Lock was closed to daytime navigation on Aug. 24-25 for gate inspection. Water levels at New Orleans continued to recede last week, with the city’s gauge reading 5.1 feet and falling on Aug. 27.
Singlewide towing restrictions remained in place on westbound traffic through Calcasieu Lock, shippers said, adding that restrictions would remain in place until further notice. Dolphin construction on the lock’s east side triggered daylight Monday-through-Friday transit closures. Construction was extended through Sept. 18.
Lower Mississippi River: Weir construction and mat-laying activities caused intermittent daytime closures at Mile 643 on the Lower Mississippi River. The closures are expected to linger through Oct. 8. Similar activities will affect Mile 893 on Sept. 5-12, Mile 714 on Sept. 17-22, and Mile 418 on Nov. 11-17.
Weir construction at Big Island Bendway (Mile 600) continued last week. Sources said the project was 62 percent complete as of Aug. 26. Navigation is unavailable between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. through early September, though waiting traffic has been allowed to pass overnight before the start of the following day’s work.
Upper Mississippi River: Dredging at Mile 655 concluded last week, shippers said. The work resolved shoaling at the site blamed for grounding a number of boats in the previous reporting period.
Transit through Locks 20 and 27 were delayed by about an hour each last week.
Illinois River: Shipping operators reported minor delays at the Marseilles and Starved Rock Locks for the week.
Ohio River: Following reports of grounding at the mouth of the Wabash River, dredging operations were scheduled through Aug. 30, sources said.
Phase 2 Emsworth Lock repairs pushed wait times at the site to 24-48 hours last week. The repairs shuttered the lock’s main chamber and are scheduled to run through Sept. 18, forcing all traffic through the auxiliary chamber. Queued traffic is slated to be cleared via the main chamber on Aug. 29-30 and Sept. 5-7, though a tow-width restriction of 80 feet will be in effect.
The Montgomery Lock river chamber remained out of service last week, blocked by a buildup of debris forward of the lower lock gates. Dredging required to reopen the lock had not been scheduled as of Aug. 27. The site’s auxiliary chamber is scheduled go offline Nov. 16 through Dec. 11.
The Corps announced revised Greenup Lock main and auxiliary chamber inspection dates last week. Originally slated for Aug. 3-25, work is now set to run during daylight hours, Aug. 31 through Sept. 23, with no work performed on Sept. 4-14. Shippers expect I-65 Bridge construction in Louisville, Ky., to block daytime navigation once work begins. No o