U.S. Gulf:
Tropical Storm Danny made landfall north of Hilton Head, S.C., on June 28, bringing heavy rains to Georgia and South Carolina. Danny was quickly downgraded to Post-Tropical Cyclone status, where it held court over northwestern Georgia on June 29.
Tropical Storm Elsa became the Atlantic Hurricane Season’s fifth named storm on July 1 after forming north of French Guiana. Early forecasts predicted Elsa strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane on July 3, followed by a push through the Caribbean and a potential northern turn toward Florida.
Tows moving through the U.S. Gulf, including the East and West Canals, continued to see navigational slowdowns due to inclement weather, including rains, high winds, and rough seas. The slowdowns were projected to continue through at least the end of the week.
Port Allen Lock movements saw ongoing restrictions due to unrepaired guidewall damage. Westbound tows locking with two or more barges were required to utilize an assist vessel, while boats traveling eastbound were obligated to use assistance on tows measuring over 650 feet. Minimal delays were noted for the week, despite the restrictions.
Unassisted tows passing through Algiers Lock also faced towing limitations. Size curbs resulted in tows being capped at four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per trip, although longer crossings were permitted with the use of an assist vessel. Delays were typically noted at 5-10 hours, with intermittent stoppages as high as 25 hours.
Bayou Chene remained shut to overnight navigation, the result of ongoing construction and dive operations previously scheduled to conclude in mid-June. Travel was completely unavailable nightly between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., producing 6-12 hour delays, while travel during non-work hours required an accompanying assistance vessel.
Bayou Sorrel Lock delays were counted up to nine hours for the week, while boats passing Industrial Lock waited 5-11 hours. Brazos Lock travel carried wait times up to 5.5 hours, according to Corps data.
Mississippi River:
Weekend rains caused depth increases in the St. Louis area, precipitating a shift to both daylight-only transport through the St. Louis harbor and reduced tow lengths on southbound movements between St. Louis and Cairo, Ill.
The Corps also added daylight-only restrictions through the bridge at Thebes, Ill. The restrictions were predicted to remain in place through the start of July. The river gauge at St. Louis measured levels at an action stage 28.2 feet and falling on June 30.
The Corps announced a pair of Lock 27 shutdowns, set to interrupt travel between July 6 and Aug. 19. The site’s secondary lock chamber will close on July 6-27 for repairs to the lower bullnose, while the main chamber will shut Aug 2-19 for upper bullnose repair.
Access to the channel beneath the I-74 Bridge at Davenport, Iowa, was restricted from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on June 27 and June 29, with lengthy wait times expected. The upper river’s Lock 2 is scheduled to see a partial traffic closure in July for miter gate installation, resulting in daily 4-12 hour navigation stoppages.
Waits were noted up to 5.5 hours at Lock 15, while boats passing Lock 27 were delayed up to 13 hours.
Illinois River:
Persistent rains in the Illinois River Basin prompted a sharp reduction in commercial traffic early in the week. High water and fast flows impacted travel between Starved Rock and Lockport Lock, with heavy flows also noted in the Brandon Road Lock area.
Repairs announced for the Beardstown Railroad Drawbridge were expected to impact travel on July 12-13, closing the area to navigation daily between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Wickets were lowered at Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock due to the rising water levels, allowing tows to transit both sites through their nonlocking navigational passes.
Ohio River:
Emergency repairs reportedly shut the Ohio River’s Belleville Lock main chamber between June 28 and July 3. Transit remained available through the secondary chamber, with delays posted up to six hours.
Main chamber work at Meldahl Lock concluded on schedule on June 29, ending a round of miter gate machinery repair and maintenance that kicked off on May 11. Traffic passed through the site’s 600-foot secondary chamber while work was underway, producing lengthy delays. Lingering waits were reported up to 30 hours on June 30.
The auxiliary chamber at Markland Lock is tentatively scheduled to remain offline through Oct. 29 due to structural damage to the miter gate. Tows have been able to pass through the site’s main chamber with minimal delays reported.
Main chamber work at Cannelton Lock that began on June 21 has required detours through the site’s auxiliary chamber. The project is scheduled to end on Nov. 19, with delays expected to slowly ramp up as the operation wears on.
The Montgomery Lock main chamber is scheduled to shut from July 26 through Aug. 24, during which vessel traffic will detour through the auxiliary chamber. The site’s main chamber is scheduled to undergo a second outage between Oct. 18 and Dec. 17.
The primary chamber at Braddock Lock will close to navigation from Sept. 13 through Oct. 15, with boats passing through the secondary chamber instead. The Willow Lock main chamber will be taken offline on Oct. 1-31, with delays anticipated.
The Tennessee River’s Wilson Lock was closed to daytime travel on June 28-July 1 for inspections, blocking movements from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Kentucky Lock wait times were posted at 16-31 hours for the week.
Bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) repairs remained in progress at the Cumberland River’s Cheatham Lock, blocking navigation between June 28 and July 1. Following a break to clear waiting vessels, the lock was scheduled to close once more on July 12-22 in order to complete the project.
Arkansas River:
A full shutdown for dewatering and repairs is scheduled at David D. Terry Lock from Aug. 27 through Sept. 9, closing the river at that site. Intermittent navigation stoppages were expected ahead of the closure on Aug. 16-26 as contractors work to prepare for the operation.