U.S. Gulf:
Calcasieu Lock navigation restrictions remained in place during daylight hours through the week. The restrictions were expected to run through late August, blocking Monday-Thursday travel between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Waits were observed up to 12.5 hours on June 21.
A guidewall replacement project underway at Bayou Sorrel Lock was noted blocking Monday-through-Friday travel between 6:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The shutdowns were scheduled to end in early 2023. Delays were reported as high as five days during the week.
Brazos Lock travel was unavailable during daylight hours on Monday through Friday. The project was tentatively anticipated to run through June 30. Players reported the location closed to travel between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., triggering delays of up to 10 hours during the period.
Draft limits remained in effect at Miles 113-116 on the Atchafalaya River, a Coast Guard posting indicated, due to shoaling reported in the Morgan City, La., area. Draft limits were imposed at a maximum 10 feet, while towing lengths and widths were noted at 600 feet and 70 feet, respectively. Tows longer than 400 feet were advised to travel with an assist boat. Tows were invited to skip the restrictions by transiting through the Port Allen Route instead.
Ongoing length and width restrictions in place at Algiers Lock had the effect of limiting unassisted tows to four standard barges or two 30,000 mt tankers per turn. Wait times were typically seen in the 6-11 hour range during the week, falling from 50 hours reported previously. Larger lockages were possible when traveling with an assist tug.
Construction work underway at the Belle Chasse Bridge, located at Mile 3 in the West Canal, was scheduled to run through the end of 2022, triggering delays of up to 12 hours at a stretch.
Port Allen Lock wait times were quoted in a wide 10-35 hour range through the week. Boats passing Industrial Lock were delayed up to 51 hours.
Mississippi River:
A heat dome moving across the U.S. impacted travel on the middle and lower sections of the Mississippi River during the week, causing limited delays to navigation, infrastructure and vessel repairs and maintenance, and loading operations. A heat advisory was in effect for the Vicksburg, Miss., area on June 22.
Power line maintenance scheduled for Mile 107 of the lower river was expected to begin in early July. Daytime transit interruptions were likely, although few details were available on June 22.
The lower river’s Old River Lock, a primary connector between the Mississippi and Red Rivers, will close for miter gate installation from Aug. 30 through Nov. 13, completely halting navigation through the location. Tows seeking access to the Red River will be advised to detour through the Atchafalaya River.
Navigation impacts to southbound travel, reportedly due to rock-placement work at Mile 807 that began on May 10, were reduced during the week as work moved to locations outside of the navigational channel. Previously, the operation was noted blocking southbound travel daily between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
A salvage operation to lift a sunken barge at Mile 49 on the upper river concluded during the week, earlier than expected. Maximum barge counts were reportedly reduced to 20-30 units while work was underway.
Intermittent Lock 8 wait times were observed in the 4-12 hour range during the week. Lock and Dam 21 reported zero lockages through June 22, while nine-hour delays were seen at Mel Price Lock on June 19.
Illinois River:
A maintenance and repair project currently underway at Brandon Road Lock was noted impacting navigation during the week. Set to run through Sept. 8, lockages are limited to overnight hours from May 9 to Aug. 14. The lock will shut to traffic completely between Aug. 15 and Sept. 4, while overnight navigation will return on Sept. 5-8. Normal operations are projected to resume on Sept. 9. A 70-foot width limit is in effect through the entire project. Delays were reported at 6-13 hours during the week.
Sources reported raised wickets at Peoria Lock, triggering locking delays of up to 20 hours. Wickets were down at LaGrange Lock, however, allowing vessels to transit through the navigational pass. Marseilles Lock waits were noted up to five hours during the week.
Ohio River:
Shoaling reported at Mile 926 on the Ohio River triggered a navigational shutdown in the area early in the week, sources said. Work was underway to reopen the area, although 10-foot draft limits were instituted for the full length of the river due to the conditions, complicating movements for heavier barges currently on the water. Delays at Smithland Lock were reported up to 30 hours as a result.
Belleville Lock kicked off a planned main chamber shutdown on May 1, prompting tows to run solely through the auxiliary chamber until June 29. Early-week delays were reported in the 36-62 hour range. Both chambers at the site were shut to navigation on June 22-24. Prior to the shutdown, delays were counted up to 15 hours.
The main chamber at Greenup Lock was also closed to navigation from May 1 to June 29, leaving transit possible solely through the secondary chamber. Waits for the week peaked at 17 hours on June 19-20, rising from 3-11 hours noted previously.
The Corps announced a round of inspections at Cannelton Lock slated for June 24-25, which are expected to close the site to vessel travel. Wait times topped out at 3-4 hours ahead of the shutdown, but were projected to swell to 24 hours or more while the inspections were underway.
The site’s main chamber is slated to close for repairs and maintenance from July 5 through Nov. 11, forcing detours through the secondary chamber. The secondary unit is shut through July 1 for anchor arm replacement in preparation for the main chamber project.
A proposed Hannibal Lock primary chamber repair and maintenance shutdown could trigger detours through the auxiliary chamber from July 5 through Oct. 8.
Wait times at the Tennessee River’s Kentucky Lock were reported in a wide 9-45 hour range for the week. Wilson Lock passages required up to 13 hours, Corps data indicated.
Cheatham Lock miter gate machinery repairs, underway since May 16, resulted in a repeating 11 days closed, three days open navigation pattern. The project was slated to continue through Aug. 5, with substantial delays predicted.
Arkansas River:
The newest round of planned repairs and maintenance at Norrell Lock kicked off on June 22, blocking navigation daily between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. through July 21. The travel restrictions were scheduled to repeat on Aug. 1-10; Aug. 21-Sept. 21; Oct. 20-Nov. 18; Nov. 29-Dec. 23; and Jan. 3-31, 2023. Access to the site will be completely unavailable between Sept. 30 and Oct. 9.
Joe Hardin Lock is scheduled to shut to tows from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily on Sept. 12-19. The location was expected to undergo a complete navigation shutdown from Sept. 20 to Oct. 9.