U.S. Gulf and Atlantic:
A long-term Belle Chasse Bridge construction project was expected to prompt intermittent navigation shutdowns at Mile 3 in the West Canal through late 2022. Delays up to 12 hours were expected.
Delays were posted up to nine hours through Port Allen Lock, while Corps data showed Industrial Lock wait times as high as 11 hours on Aug. 23. Bayou Boeuf Lock travel topped out at 5.5 hours on Aug. 23, and boats locking through the Colorado Floodgates saw intermittent waits up to 17 hours for the week. Sporadic delays at Brazos Lock fell in a wide 9-21 hour range.
Tropical Storm Henri made landfall near Westerly, R.I., on Aug. 22. Henri was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane earlier on Aug. 22 prior to coming ashore.
The NHC was tracking three tropical disturbances in the Caribbean and Atlantic during the week. The most imminent threat was identified as Tropical Depression Nine, located to the southwest of Jamaica on Aug. 26. Forecasts predicted a northwesterly path into the Gulf of Mexico, while warnings indicated a potential strike along the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane.
Two additional disturbances in the region, one located due east of Bermuda and the other east of northern Venezuela, were each assigned a 40-60 percent chance of strengthening into a tropical cyclone prior to Aug. 28.
Mississippi River:
A dredging operation at Victoria Bend, located at Mile 595 on the lower Mississippi, reportedly concluded during the week, with subsequent dredging activities scheduled at Mile 607. Backups persisted on Aug 24 at Victoria despite the conclusion of work in the area, with some expecting travel to remain slow into September. Intermittent shutdowns were expected at Mile 607 while work is underway.
Low river levels, fast currents, and shoaling necessitated ongoing towing restrictions below St. Louis, with maximum lengths reduced by 5-10 barges, determined on a case-by-case basis. River forecasts suggested a potential continuation of the limitations into the first week of September.
A construction operation at the upper river’s Merchants Memorial Rail Bridge was scheduled to block river travel through the site on Sept. 10 and 13, with shutdowns projected to total 24 hours on both occasions. Merchants Bridge is in the midst of an ongoing replacement project scheduled through the end of 2022.
Intermittent 4-7 hour waits were posted through Lock 4, while boats passing Locks 18 and 20 were delayed up to five hours at each site.
Illinois River:
Wickets remained down at both Peoria Lock and LaGrange Lock for the week due to low water levels in the area.
Ohio River:
The J.T. Meyers Lock secondary chamber returned to normal operation on Aug. 18. Maintenance at the site has limited use of the chamber since Aug. 9.
The Pike Island Lock primary lock chamber was scheduled to close from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily on Aug. 24-26 for repairs and maintenance. The shutdown was scheduled to repeat over the Aug. 31-Sept. 2 period. Traffic was expected to pass through the smaller auxiliary chamber, with delays anticipated.
Main chamber access was scheduled to resume at Montgomery Lock on Aug. 27 following the conclusion of repair activities that began on July 26. Navigation was routed through the secondary chamber while the operation was in progress. An additional main chamber closure is scheduled at Montgomery between Oct. 18 and Dec. 17. Delays of 4-6 days were reported for the week.
Repairs and maintenance underway at the Cannelton Lock main chamber since June 21 prompted detours through the auxiliary chamber. The project is anticipated to run through Nov. 19, while secondary chamber closures are also expected over the Nov. 1-19 period.
The auxiliary chamber at Markland Lock is reportedly offline through an estimated Oct. 29 due to structural miter gate damage discovered in first-half 2020. Movements have continued through the site’s main chamber for the duration of the closure, with minimal delays reported.
Braddock Lock is slated to undergo a main chamber outage from Sept. 13 through Oct. 15, forcing detours through the secondary lock chamber. Delays are expected.
The auxiliary chamber at Willow Island Lock is shut from Aug. 16 through Sept. 30 for repairs. The current round of work will precede a main chamber closure scheduled for Oct. 1-31, during which delays are anticipated. Sporadic wait times at Willow Island were noted up to five hours for the week.
A Hannibal Lock primary chamber shutdown is reportedly on the docket for Sept. 13-Oct. 29 for planned repairs. Tows are expected to pass through the 600-foot secondary unit while work is underway.
Belleville Lock delays were quoted up to 9.5 hours on Aug. 23. On the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lock wait times maxed out around 16 hours on Aug. 23, falling from 8-28 hours reported previously.
Bio-acoustic fish fence (BAFF) maintenance scheduled at the Cumberland River’s Barkley Lock will block movements daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the Sept. 16-Oct. 5 period.
The Monongahela River’s Lock 2 is set to see a planned main chamber closure on Sept. 13-Oct. 15, during which navigation is expected to detour through the auxiliary chamber.
Emergency repairs were noted blocking movements through the Allegheny River’s Lock 6 during the week. No timetable for a return to navigation was available on Aug. 24.
Arkansas River:
David D. Terry Lock is scheduled to undergo a complete dewatering and repair shutdown from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9, blocking river access above that location. Intermittent shutdowns were noted ahead of the closure on Aug. 16-26.
Intermittent transit stoppages were scheduled at Joe Hardin Lock on Oct 19-21, a Corps posting indicated. Following the Hardin project, similar shutdowns were projected for Emmett Sanders Lock on Oct. 26-28.